Camp Justice
by Kairo833
Summary: Artemis Crock lives a pretty normal life as a scholarship student at Gotham Academy. All that changes, however, when she is selected to attend Camp Justice, training to get a spot on the new team of young heroes. Meeting new people, Martians, and Atlanteans, she only has one thing to figure out: Why is she here? Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

_June 5th, 2010  
_

_Today I realized that Gotham Academy is full of spoiled rich kids. The whole damn school. Oh wait, except for that one girl, what's her name? Artemis Crock?_

_Yeah, I'm the only kid who walks to school. Once mom gets a car, which probably won't happen, I'll be the only kid who drives to school. Someday, when I win the lottery, I can fit in with the all the other kids who are driven to school by a chauffeur in a Cadillac__. I'll be the one who looks out for the scholarship kids though. There aren't enough of those people in the school. Take Barbara Gordon, if you could put people in a copy machine, I would make 500 copies of her to replace all the stuck up brats that I'd put through the shredder._

_Anyway._

_Today I forgot my lunch money, and even though I could have borrowed some from any other kid there, they instead chose to make fun of the fact that I didn't have money with me at the moment, which automatically means I have no money at all. Thanks to Barbara, I miraculously found it in my pocket a moment too late. I'd really like to take one of Natalya's high-heeled shoes and poke her own eye out with it. But I'd probably get expelled. Besides, I'm sure she'd find a way to make my life miserable with one eye just as well as she can with two._ _We could probably be good friends if she was a mute. No, she'd have to be blind too. Even then I don't know. She can't-_

Artemis stopped writing as her mom opened the door. She really hated being interrupted in the middle of a rant.

"Dinner's ready," Paula told her daughter. "Alright, be out in a second," she replied and hastily closed the door as her mom wheeled away.

_Dinner time. But I'll be back soon, you know, if I make it through another day of life. Which I probably won't. Thank goodness school's almost out. _

oOo_  
_

At lunch the next day, Artemis, Barbara, and Bette sat at the table in a corner. Sure it was sketchy, but they wouldn't be bothered by anyone there. Artemis and Barbara had problems with getting picked on. Bette had problems with being school president and mentor to every distressed teenager at the academy. "Augh, why are you so popular?" Barbara complained as yet another student came to their secluded table to congratulate her on the improvements of lawn care at the school. "If I could share, I would," Bette retorted, and the three continued eating their steak in silence. Suddenly a fourth person set their tray down, and the trio looked up and each raised an eyebrow.

"Get lost Grayson," Artemis growled. "Yeah, this is a girls only table," Bette added. Barbara didn't comment. "Oh come on," the 13 year old replied, smirking. "Where are we, second grade?" Barbara then moved her tray over and Dick sat down next to her. Bette and Artemis rolled their eyes but didn't say any thing else. Artemis was getting used to the little troll hanging out with Barbara, who was a troll herself, but that didn't excuse the fact that the 13 year old who skipped a grade hanging out at her table did not improve her image. "So, Artemis, how's that computer class coming?" he snickered.  
Other than being a ninja, Dick was pretty much a computer genius. Somehow that made it okay for him to rub it in Artemis' face that she sucked at technology. Her family only had one computer from around the stone age because of their financial difficulties, but Artemis wasn't about to publicize that to Dick. Underneath his trolling ways, he actually had a heart that would probably break knowing the truth about the struggles she had gone through even as a child. "Don't sweat it," he continued. "you just have to understand the software, after that, it's an aster."  
Bette set a book down in front of him while finishing her patatoes. "What's this?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "An English dictionary," Bette replied nonchalantly. "_Aster_ is not in it. Check." Dick thumbed through the pages until he reached the place where his fantasy word should have been. He took a pencil and started to scribble hurriedly, dodging Bette as she lunged at him. "It is now!" he announced,slamming the book shut. Barbara laughed, and Artemis smiled a little. Bette was sullen. "Aw, poor Bette," the boy simpered. "How 'bout this, I'll take the three of you out to ice cream after school."Bette picked up her tray and sniffed,"You win, _this time.__"_ the others knew she couldn't resist.

"Hey, Arty," Dick called as the group dispersed. She came closer and he said in a quieter voice, "If you really do want some help, you can come over and use one of the computers at my house." Artemis smiled. Dick really could be sweet when he wanted to be.

"Thanks. Does this afternoon work?"

"Yeah, Babs will be there too so we can both give you some pointers," he grinned, but Artemis knew the two would probably forget she was even there. "See ya," he waved then disappeared into the crowd of students. "Barbara?" Artemis turned to the red head who had a locker beside Artemis'. "Did Dick teach you how to be a computer hacker?"

"No," Babs replied, slyly. "He gives me some good tips, but I guess I get most my skills from being a commissioner's kid." "And that helps... How?" Artemis asked knowingly. "Let's just say I have more resources," she smiled, then walked to class. _Figures._ Having a police officer for a parent must be automatic brownie points, and as for Dick? His dad was Bruce Wayne. Enough said. Artemis wished her parents could be cool and teach her ninja skills. Artemis barely remembered her mom being in jail for a short while for who knows what, and her dad had been gone almost as long as she could think back. Her sister ran out shortly after her mom came home, and she hadn't seen her since. And no where in any of this did they manage to teach her anything cool. Artemis never asked her mom what her sentence was for, and her mom never told her. There was no need. Paula Crock had left it in the past and was now doing her best to raise Artemis with a little income from her father, who travelled all the time. Literally, all the time. As if to avoid delving farther into this thought process, Artemis slammed her locker shut and quickly walked down the hall to her class room.

oOo

After the last day of school, Bette, Babs, Dick and Artemis celebrated by going to the pool. June was already turning out to be record- setting hot and it was the best feeling in the world when Artemis was out of her school uniform and cannon- balling into the public pool. The diving boards were the quartet's first destination. Bette and Barbara were both in Gymnastics, which made it easy for them to execute beautiful doubles off the 1 meter boards and twists off the 3 meters. Dick was, as mentioned before, a ninja, which gave him the ability to do incredible things when bouncing off the board. Artemis couldn't tell what he was doing, but it looked cool, whatever it was. Probably all those years of karate lessons or something. She gulped when her turn came.

"Do it, Arty!" Dick yelled. "Yeah, Go Artemis!" Barbara added. Everyone's eyes turned to her. _Come on, Crock, pull yourself together._ The 3 meter board suddenly seemed really high. She stood with her toes over the edge, then closed her eyes and raised her arms in streamline position. Tipping over the edge, she fell head first into a dive. She came up and took a gasp of air, her head pounding a little from the impact. Her friends cheered, but she just rolled her eyes and ignored them.

Walking past them and trying not to pay attention as they chanted, "Arty! Arty! Arty!" together, she grabbed some money and went to the snack bar. The others grabbed towels and joined her. Dick ended up paying for all of them as an end of the school year present.

As they say down to eat about 50$ worth of food, they heard a voice call, "Aw, Dick's with all the ladies, as usual." They turned around to see a red headed boy walking towards them. "Wally!" Dick stood up and high- fived the guy. "What are you doing in Gotham?" "Just visiting some family. We'll be here for the weekend." As the two chatted, Artemis studie the ginger closely. _He's pretty cute. And geez, his muscles are nicely toned._ Dick pointed to the table. "You want something to eat? We've got plenty." "Nah, not hungry," the boy replied. "Besides, I'd rather meet your companions." He came over and looked at Bette first, "Hey, I'm Wally, and what might your name be?" "Chrysanthemum," Bette answered with a fake smile. "Ah, that's a... Pretty name," he moved on.

"Barbara," the girl answered as Wally opened his mouth to ask. "Nice to meet you Barbara. Did you know red heads are the best species on earth?" Artemis was growing tired of waiting and finally got up to throw her trash away. "Wait!" Wally called to her. "I didn't catch your name!" "I never dropped it," she replied, then added,"Artemis." "Nice to meet all of you," he smiled. "Now, I don't have a peice of paper with me, but if one of you grab a napkin I'm sure we can find a pen and I could get your num-" "Wally," Dick cut in. "are you sure you don't want something to eat? You're so skinny, you really should have something." "Dude, I ate like three pancakes for breakfast, I'm fine." he waved his hand, ignoring the fact that breakfast was 10 hours earlier. "Hey, I'll see you ladies around, see ya Dick," he walked slowly away and the other girls looked at Dick questioningly.

"That... Was weird." Bette commented. "Sorry guys, he has problems. He's jealous of my talent at getting the ladies." At this, Bette choked. "Dick, please, I just ate!" The boy rolled his eyes. "Racing slides next," he challenged. "Unless Artemis doesn't want to get her butt kicked like on the diving boards," this was enough to get her interested, and the group set off towards the slides.

oOo

Later that evening, Artemis came home exhausted and ready for sleep. Saying goodnight to her mother, she tumbled onto her bed and right on the day's mail. She thumbed through it, not really caring, until she came to a green envelope with her name on it with no return address. When she flipped it over she was shocked to see the words, "Confidential" printed on the seal. She quickly ripped it open and read the contents with bated breath.


	2. Chapter 2

_June 16th, 2010_

_What did I get myself into. Seriously. Just think for a moment, Artemis, that could help. _

_Holy mother. _

_I can't believe I'm doing this. _

_So I opened this letter a couple days ago telling me that I had been selected to attend this camp hosted by the Justice League. _

_Yeah, THE Justice League. _

_I have no idea why I was "selected," but the point is I was, and my mom encouraged me to go, so I am._

_Oh my Tarzan._

_I don't even know what kid of a camp it is! From what I gathered from the letter, I think it's some kind of training camp. But I don't have a clue as to why I was picked. I have pretty much no talent at anything. Whatsoever. I'm slightly athletic but not enough to, I don't know, fight crime or whatever they're wanting me to do? This is so weird. And the freakiest part is that I'm supposed to meet them at an abandoned phone booth. I'm starting to think this whole thing is a prank. I'll probably get there and Dick will come out with a microphone and a camera man saying,"See folks, she ACTUALLY fell for it!" I swear he is going to get be up if he's the one behind this. Any way, I'm trying to write and walk to this phone booth at the same time, and I've already run into about ten people. I may be back in a few minutes though with the most humiliating story of my life. _

_On the other hand, I might never be back if I get murdered while meeting a member of the justice league in an abandon phone booth. Either way, you might wonder why I am still going through with this despite all the fears I have mentioned. Well, I think the reason is..._

_Pft, who the hell knows. _

**oOo**_  
_

Artemis slowly approached the telephone booth with the sign,"Out of Order" on it, waiting for Dick or Barbara to jump out at any minute. She examined the sign and realized that something was written on the back. She flipped it over.

_Miss Crock,_

_Please wait in the phone booth. _

Still wondering why she was doing this, Artemis slowly opened the door, on her guard for the slightest movement. That's why she nearly started screaming her head off as a bright light flashed in her eyes and she heard a computerized voice saying,"Recognized: Artemis Crock, B07."

Artemis stood shaking with her hands over her eyes. "Hey Arty!" a familiar voice called. She stopped shaking as she realized who it belonged to.

_Oh, he is going to get it. _

Her eyes flew open in rage and she charged at the boy, screaming a lot of things that she wasn't even sure made sense, then she stopped short. That's when she realized it. She wasn't in the phone booth any more.

"What have you done to me..." she started backing away in awe. than she heard another familiar voice, "Artemis!" Barbara exclaimed. "You're here too!" She rushed to Artemis and held her hand up for a high five. Artemis didn't return it. She just stared at Barabara unbelievingly. "W-what's going on?" she asked, finally noticing a large group of people in the room watching her.

There were about four other teens in the room. A tall, dark- skinned boy who looked to be about 16 or 17, and, _oh my word_, he had webbed hands and feet. Another was a tall, dark haired boy with icy blue eyes and muscles practically the size of Superman. Two teenage girls were standing together on the other side of the room. One had auburn hair and was wearing an outfit that looked like it came out of a old tv show. The other had dark hair, almost the same color as Dick's, and light blue eyes. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. All were staring at her.

Artemis barely had time to recover from this shock when out came two adults. Artemis now realized that the letter had been legit. Black Canary and Batman stood infront of her. "Welcome to Mount Justice, Artemis," Batman greeted. She just nodded, and Black Canary smiled and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Artemis. We're going to enjoy helping you train." "Nice to meet you too," she manage to reply. "These are the other campers you'll be staying with. Megan, Zatanna, Kaldurham, Conner, and I see you already know Dick and Barabara."

Suddenly a brilliant light flashed and Artemis squinted into the light. "Recognized: Wally West; B03" Artemis didn't see any one come out of the light, but a moment later wveryone's attention was on the center of the room where the newcomer stood. "Sorry I'm late," he said, but was obviously enjoying being the center of attention. Artemis' mind raced to remember where she had seen him before.

_Woah! It's that dude from the pool!__ "_Wally, meet the other campers," Batman started to say. Wally began zooming around to each girl. "Hey, nice to meet you, I'm Wally, can't wait to hang out babe," he stopped when he reached Artemis. "Hey, I know you! You're... Babara right?" Artemis rolled her eyes. "Right here," the real Barbara raised her hand. Wally was by her side in a moment. "Oh yeah, I remember now," he smirked. Dick cleared his throat. "Wally, this is Conner, Kaldur, Megan, Zatanna, and _Artemis." _the one named Kaldurham stepped forward. "It is a pleasure to meet you, I-" he was interrupted by the computer. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to yet another new arrival. "Recognized: Roy Harper; B06"


	3. Chapter 3

_June 16th, 2010_

_So you know that training camp Justice League thing? Well, turns out it was on the level. I was somehow teleported here by this thingy in the phone booth, don't ask me how, that science geek Wally explained it to me like a hundred times but I wasn't really paying attention. You see there's this super hot red head here who has quite the physique. He's, oh how do I put it, DELICIOUS. His name is Roy Harper. And when I was introduced to him, he smiled and said, "Hey." I pretty much died. What else is happening here? Oh yeah, I met BATMAN. Apparently he and Black Canary are going to train me and the other kids (Dick and Babs are here too), and if we pass we'll be on a team of young heroes. AHG! It sounds crazy when I say it! IT IS CRAZY!_

_So I texted mom and told her I arrived safely, and then I moved into my room, and now I'm going to dinner with the rest of the campers. I'm still kind of thinking this is a dream. Like a really life like dream. So I should probably go meet up with hot dude, fish boy, superman junior and the others for dinner. _

_Fuck. _

_Do you think they'd let me eat in my room?_

_Oh, yeah, and Wally, that cute guy who pretty much ignored me at the pool, forgot my name and ignored me again. Forget him. _

**oOo**

Artemis walked slowly to the long table where name cards were at each seat. Some kids were already up getting food in the buffet style kitchen. Artemis grabbed the plate sitting at her place, then walked to the food with the others. The meal was every kind of pasta, and Artemis loaded her plate self-consciencely. No one else seemed to notice her over flowing plate, as Wally was piling his fourth plate with food. Artemis gaped at him. "Quit shooting me looks, Allison. I have a fast metabolism which gives me a big appetite," he told her. Artemis stopped in front of him and looked him square in the eye. "It's Artemis. AR-TE-MIS." "Whatever, Babe," he said, stuffing his face with a piece of garlic bread and shuffling off.

Artemis was relieved to find she was sitting in between Babs and Dick. She set her plate down on the table and then sat down. Once everyone was seated, Kaldurham the fish boy stood up again and said to everyone, "I believe we should all go through our names again. It is always hard to remember the first time through. Perhaps we could add our ages and home cities as well." No one disagreed, so he started. "My name is is Kaldurham, but you may all call me Kaldur. I am sixteen years of age and have always lived in Atlantis until now." _ Well that explains a lot._

Next Superman Junior stood up. "My name is Conner Kent, I'm- well, I'm actually only a few months old, but I'm physically aged to 16 years. I've lived in the mountain ever since the Justice League found me in Cadmus." There was a sort of awkward pause, then the martian resumed.

"My name's Megan Morse, and I'm 48 years old." She smiled brightly. Then, noticing everyone's confused looks, she doubled back. "Oh, I'm 48 on mars, but I'm 16 in earth years." Then blushing slightly she sat back down.

The raven haired girl stood up. "Zatanna Zatara, 14 years old, New York City," she said, then sat down again. "Straight forward. You get it done," Dick smiled at her and she returned it. Then he stood up. "Dick Grayson, 13 years old, Gotham City." Barbara clutched Artemis' arm and whispered quickly,"Don't say it the way they did!" "Why not?" "Because it's stupid!" Artemis ignored her and pushed back her chair to stand up. "Artemis Crock," -she shot a glance at Wally- "15 years old, Gotham City."

Barbara defiantly stood up. "_I am_ Babara Gordon, and_ I am_ 13 years old, and_ I __live in_ Gotham City." She sat back down in her chair. "Jealous?" Artemis whispered with an amused smile. Babs just threw her a disgusted look. Artemis' attention was suddenly on the beautiful Roy Harper as he stood up. "I'm Roy Harper, I'm 18 and I'm from Star City." he smiled a little and sat back down.

All eyes then turned towards the boy who was paying more attention to his plate then to the other campers. He suddenly realized it was his turn. "Am Wolly Wost an am feften years ol." his said with a mouthful of spaghetti, then gulping he added, "And I'm from the lovely Central City, in case any of you ladies wanna stop by sometime," he winked at Megan. Artemis was starting to feel annoyed by the speedster. Did he really think that stuffing his face like that was going to attract any girls? It wasn't going to attract Artemis. Not that he was trying to in the first place. Maybe that's what annoyed her about him. He couldn't even remember her name.

As soon as the table had been cleared, the boys headed for the video games. Artemis didn't really see the point. Conner didn't find video games interesting, Kaldur didn't know how to play them, and Dick could probably just hack into the system to get it to let him win every time. That left Wally on his own, or he would be on his own, if he could figure out that Dick was hacking the system. But he didn't.

The girls moved to the other side of the mountain to a comfortable lounge. They were supposed to find some way to bond. So far, it wasn't working. Megan was trying to get everyone to tell their life story.

"Artemis, what is the best present you've ever recieved in your life?" she asked. Artemis was slouched back in a chair with her legs sprawled out. This felt more like an interrogation. "Um... I don't know... A bike?" "Oh, that's nice..." Megan tried not to sound disappointed.

"I have an idea," Zatanna smiled slyly. "Let's play MASH." Megan looked confused. "What's... MASH?" Barbara had just about had enough of her earth ignorance. "You'll figure it out, just follow along," she said. "You go first Barbara," Zatanna challenged. "Alright, ready," she accepted. "Name four numbers." They went through each category, the four boys being Wally, Kaldur, Dick, and Roy. "Why not Conner?" Megan questioned. "It's not fair to leave him out of it." "He's not really my type," Barbara replied with a little smile. "Oh..." Meganobviously had no idea what was going on. Meanwhile, Zatanna was writing on her notepad, making expressions every once in a while, "Oh!" or "aw... Too bad," or "Woah..." or sometimes just laughing.

Everyone waited for her to read the results. "Ok, Barbara. You live in a shack as a mail man. You drive a fararri and your salary is 63$ a year. Let's hope your husband Roy has a good salary to provide for you and your 24 kids!" Artemis laughed at the mental image of Barbara in a shack with 24 kids.

Barbara frowned and grabbed the notepad. Tearing off a piece of paper, she said,"Your turn, Artemis. And I'm making this one more interesting." Artemis was not happy with her results. Especially the way Barbara turned it into a dramatic story with dialogue.

"Artemis was a hobo on the street, until one day, by a stroke of luck, she got a job as a window washer. She worked herself up to the top of the business, earning $836,204 a year, finally able to afford that fancy Ice cream truck she had always when she met him. A man accidentally mistook her for the ice cream man, since she was driving an ice cream truck, and she almost ran him over! Thankfully though, Conner was strong, and although the truck hit him, he didn't have a scratch. They fell madly in love and moved in to an apartment together-" Artemis saw Megan bite her lip. She was taking this way too seriously. "-but it wasn't long before a rich man named Wally west came along. "Hey baby, if you marry me, I'll give you an apartment and raise your salary to $1,000,000 a year. You'll be the top window washer in the world." of course Artemis couldn't refuse this, so she married Wally, leaving Conner heart broken." Artemis thought she saw a tear slip down Megan's cheek, but she hoped she was imagining. Zatanna was covering her mouth and had already burst out an exclamation a few times.

"So Wally and Artemis married, but Artemis kept Conner as her secret lover. And eventually died of shock when a clown came to her 73rd birthday party. The end." Zatanna clapped and Barbara Bowed.

Artemis yawned. "Well that was a good bed time story." "oh, but Artemis," Zatanna chided. "MASH tells you your future! You have to take it seriously." "Well there is no way in hell I am marrying Wally." Artemis stated, although she wouldn't mind a glimpse of his abs again. "and don't worry, Megan, I won't be having a secret romance with Conner any time soon." The Martian blushed. She wasn't so sure she wanted to see her future- Artemis tried not to laugh- so Zatanna took the last turn.

Barbara told a long story again, somehow ending with Dick accidentally running her over with a lawn mower at the age of 32. Artemis gave Babs a knowing look as if to say, "Really? A lawn mower?" Zatanna was cool with it. "Not that this isn't fun, but I'm pretty bushed," she pretended to yawn.

The group got up and walked back towards the middle of the cave, where the boys were still laying around the tv. Wally still hadn't figured out that Dick had hacked the game system, and Kaldur was sitting with his elbows on his knees propping his chin up, lost in thought. Conner was laying on the other couch sleeping. "Where's Roy?" Arasked broke the silence. Dick answered with out taking his eyes off the game,"Turned in about an hour ago."

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Wally commented. "Mr. Anti- social barely even talked to us tonight!"

"He is quite a bit older than all of us," Kaldur interjected "he may feel a little out of place." "The guy could give us a chance," Wally mumbled. "I believe it will be better to get to know him during our training, then maybe we can socialize." Kaldur said. _oh I'm planning on it,_ Artemis thought, then said, "Well, I'm going to bed too. Goodnight."

Dick and Barbara were the only ones who wished her a goodnight in reply, and with that Artemis went back to her room. It felt empty. A bed, dresser, vanity and nightstand we're the only pieces of furniture in the room. It didn't have the homey feeling her small bedroom at home had. It didn't have her welcome touch. She changed into pajamas and laid under the covers. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened in that day. She lay awake for a long time, mulling it over. Was she excited to be here, or was she scared? A little of both, she reasoned. Excited for what this new experience could be like, scared for all the things that could go wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: thanks to all who are ready to give this story a chance! I've already got big plans for this story and I appreciate anyone who has enjoyed it so far :) Make sure if you have any questions to ask me because AUs can be kind of confusing. So, with out further adieu, on to the story!**

oOo

Artemis looked in her dresser to find what to wear for the 2 hour training session. Unsure of how people even dress for these things, she threw on some gym shorts and a t-shirt.

She walked out of her door then stopped. She closed her eyes. Then she turned right. It was really hard to remember where everything was in the giant mountain. Opening the doors to the gym, Artemis was still amazed at how huge the gym was. There were oppourtunites of every kind to work out. There were bars, beams, and mats for a gymnastics workout, there were medicine balls and dumbells, treadmills, elyptical bikes, and other electronic training devices, through the doors on the right there was a 50 meter swimming pool, and through the doors on the left there was a fully furnished weight room. In the center of the room was a square for one on one combat.

At a desk in one corner there were wrist bands you could wear to track your heart rate and gauge how hard you've been working, and behind it a refrigerator stocked with chocolate milk, protein drinks, and other necessary items to refuel athletes. It was awesome but at the same time intimidating. Were they actually going to use all this? "Alright kids, come on over and I'm going to give you a little demonstration," Black Canary called from the combat square. The nine teens walked over to the center of the room.

Roy was muttering something about "Don't call me a kid," and Wally and Dick were arguing about whether Wally was shorter than Dick when he was his age. "Ahem, Dick," Black Canary began. "Would you join me in combat?" "Oh, sure thing," Dick ran to the square. Artemis hardly payed attention to the demonstration where Dick put up a good fight but still got his butt kicked. She was surprised at how much he already knew, however, and saw why Black Canary chose him.

Artemis was watching Roy, who seemed to be lost in thought instead of watching the demonstration. Finally, at the end he said gruffly, "It looks easy enough when you're fighting a 13 year old." then turning to the other campers, "It'll be different when you're fighting an actual adult, though." Black Canary gave a small smile, "Are you volunteering?"

Roy slipped off his jacket and came to the center of the room. They both held a fighting stance and focused. Each were taking deep breaths and began to circle each other. Artemis found herself holding her breath. The tension grew. Suddenly Roy lunged and went for a high kick to her head, but Canary ducked and drop kicked him. He stumbled, but quickly regained his stance as Canary went for a high kick. He caught her leg and pulled her to the ground, where she handspringed and landed behind him, kicking the back of his knee so that he fell on the ground.

"Failed: Roy Harper" the computer announced and he grimaced.

Canary helped him up, then turned to the observing teens. "Surprise attacks can be good, but very risky. I was prepared because he's used them before," she smiled at Roy and Artemis was in major confusement. _They've fought before? _"You must always be on your guard for surprise attacks," Canary instructed. "And don't use them too often, or your opponent, of course, will no longer be surprised."

After teaching every one the basic movements of combat, Canary took them through a pair of doors into yet another huge room. It was an obstacle course filled with all sorts of challenges. Artemis stared in amazement and wondered how she could even get through it. "This is the obstacle course we'll be using once a week to test your improvement," Canary told them. "It uses every element we'll be focusing on this summer."

"Can you believe this?" Barbara whispered to Artemis. "It's going to take me a year to finish this whole thing!" "At least you have experience with gymnastics," she hissed back. "I have _nothing_." "How is gymnastics supposed to help me swim through a maze?" "Shit. There's a rock climbing wall too. I hate heights."

As if on cue, Black Canary explained, "This obstacle course is all about overcoming your weaknesses. Each of you at some point will struggle with a part of this course." "Each one of us except Dick," Artemis muttered. Batman now entered the room and handed each of them one of the wrist bands that tracks heart rate. It looked almost like a watch. "You will wear one of these each time you run the course to gauge your effort. We're hoping that every time will be easier than the last." After they strapped the bands on tharms wrists, they lined up to try the course.

Kaldur, being the natural leader, went first. Everything was going well up to the logs. At this point, he had to jump from one log to another, six altogether, while keeping your balance and not falling in. The logs rolled easily and once fallen it was impossible to get back on. Having webbed hands and feet made it difficult to cling to the unsturdy log, and he fell after leaping to the third one. "I'm hoping to have one of you break Wonder Woman's record time," Black Canary smiled, possibly trying to encourage them. "For that you need strength, speed and control, but most of all you have to want it." _How are we supposed to break the record if we can't even make it the whole way? _Artemis wondered.

Dick went next, making it past the logs, rock climbing wall, and uneven bars like a little acrobat, but when it came to the more strength inspired apparatus he began to struggle. To get to the other side of a wall you had to lift the opening with your own hands. With a grunt of pain, he pulled as hard as he could, and barely managed to slip under. Next he came to a long walkway with heavy, squishy balls swinging back and forth. In between were metal peices of floor which would drop out from under you with out warning. This stage obviously required speed. Dick took a deep breath and plunged in. He was doing well until he paused too long on a piece of flooring and suddenly dropped into the water. He came up with a smile and pretended to wave to an imaginary crowd. The next seven teens didn't make it through the course either. Artemis was almost relieved she didn't make it to the rock climbing wall, unable to swing high enough from the low bar to the high bar.

"Alright team," Canary called them together afterwards. "We'll take your results and evaluate them to figure out what each of you need to work on for tomorrow. For now, hit the showers and enjoy the rest of the day. Remember, doubles start next week." Everyone was silent as they walked down the corridors and to the locker rooms.

"I'm not good at anything," Artemis groaned after a refreshing shower. "How am I going to make it through this camp?" "You're not good at anything because you've never tried anything," Barbara consoled her. "Once you try things out, you might be surprised at all the talent you have."

oOo

Artemis took her time getting changed and eating supper (because damn that workout made her hungry), then walked back to her room to call and wish her mom goodnight. As she made her way down the corridor she came upon Dick, who stopped her. "So Artemis, you look nice tonight," this complement, so unexpected, made her almost laugh, mostly because she was In her PJs. "Um... Thanks I guess?" "Yeah you know, do you wanna like, go out some time?" Now she thought she was imagining things. "What?" she asked. "Do you want to go out some time?"

"What?"

"I said, 'Do you want to go out sometime?'"

She still couldn't believe it. "You mean, as in out to the kitchen for a snack?"

"No, as in out to a restaurant for dinner, or a movie or something." he replied. She just stared at him in disbelief. "Um..." she started.

"You can just say no," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Um... No?" she returned, still puzzled. "Okay," he replied, shrugging his shoulders again, then walking down the hall and into the room he came from. Artemis quietly ran after and him and listened at the door.

"I asked her," Dick was saying, and Conner asked, "What'd she say?"

"'No,' of course. We're just friends," came the reply, then Connor's voice again. "Yeah, that was kind of a stupid dare, Wally."

"Like you could have thought of something better!" Wally defended himself. "Alright," Dick went on. "I dare _you _to ask her out."

"That'll be good," she heard Roy say, which kind of made her heart sink that he didn't romantically announce that she was already his and no one else could touch her, but she _had _only known him a little over a day. "It will be good," Wally replied hotly. "I'll use my charms and pick her up in no time."

"She's not really like that... And you can't even remember her name." Dick chuckled. Wally just smirked. "I remember her name, I've just been messing with her. Besides, she's been checking me out since the moment we met."

Artemis gritted her teeth in annoyance then sprinted to the water fountain and pretended she hadn't been listening. As she brought her head up from a drink she saw Wally next to her. "Hey," he smiled. "Hey," she returned and started walking to her room, but Wally sped in front of her. "You looked good in practice today," he tried. "I didn't make it past the third stage," she raised an eyebrow. This was going to be interesting. "Oh, I wasn't talking about the obstacle course," he wiggled his eyebrows. _Didn't see that one coming, _ Artemis thought sarcastically. "You know," he began, putting his arm around her and beginning to walk down the hall. "A speedster like me and a..." he struggled to find a word. "Spirited girl like you, we'd really make a nice pair," it made no sense, but Artemis smiled and batted her eyelashes. "Continue," she said, guiding him through a door.

"I could see us together-" he stopped short. "Wally, what are you doing in here?!" Megan, who had been looking in the mirror, asked incredulously. Barbara took out her phone and snapped a picture of Wally, an astonished look on his face, standing next to the sign reading, "Girls' Locker Room" "Oh, shit," he muttered, and in half a second he was out the door, his face blushing red.

Zatanna was laughing and Barbara was smiling with one eyebrow raised. Megan looked confused. Then the four went out to the room where the boys were sitting, Wally still upset, but not going into details about his experience. He shot an angry glance at Artemis when the girls walked in.

"Truth or dare? Is that seriously the best you guys an think of?"

Conner shrugged. "We wanted to see why girls think it's so fun." "Girls don't think it's that fun," Zatanna said, sitting down. "Who's going next?"

"Let's see..." Dick looked around. "No, no," Wally cut in. "My turn to ask the question. Roy,"

Said red head snapped his head up.

"Truth or dare."

Roy looked like he was trying to weigh out which would be least embarrassing. Not wanting to risk a dare from Wally, he replied,"Truth."

"Party pooper..." Wally muttered. Then he thought a moment and smiled.

"How many girls have you made out with?"

Roy rolled his eyes. "Really?" he asked superciliously.

"Just answer the question."

"Um... Too many to count."

"That's a stupid answer..." Wally mumbled. Roy sat up.

"Barbara, truth or dare?"

She thought for a moment. "Truth."

Roy wasn't very original with his questions. "Who is your biggest idol?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Wally burst out, but noticing Roy smiling he looked at Barbara, who had a slight blush on her face and was trying to keep her composure. Everyone was now more interested. "Come on, Babs, who is it?" Dick prodded. Barbara shook her head. "You guys'll think its really dumb!"

"Just tell us," Conner said. "We won't judge."

Barbra still looked wary. She finally admitted, "Alright, it's- it's Batman." Dick was trying really hard not to laugh. Artemis was almost amazed. She never knew about that! "Woah, it must've been, like, awesome for you when you saw him here," Zatanna commented. Barbara blushed again. Then she quickly changed the subject.

"Dick, truth or dare?"

Immediately Dick answered with confidence, "Dare."

Barbara smiled almost evilly. "I dare you to sing the best you can for at least a minute."

Everyone was silent. What a weird dare. "Augh... A minute?" Dick asked, running a hand through his hair. "No chickens!" Babs reminded him.

"I know I know... Okay, um, here it goes."

Every one sat still. Dick began. "I don't want another pretty face... I don't want just any one to hold... I don't want my love to go to waste... I want you and your beautiful soul..."

Artemis was amazed. He sounded just like Jesse McCartney!

Dick cleared his throat awkwardly. "I know, that you, are somethin' special. To you, I'd be, always faithful. I want, to be, what you always needed, then I'd hope you'd see the heart in me. Been a minute yet?" "Nope..." Barbara looked at her phone. "I don't want another pretty face, I don't want just any one to hold, I don't want my love to go to waste, I want you and your beautiful soul... Now?"

"Ten more seconds."

"Yeah... You might need time, okay I'm done!" he suddenly stopped and everyone just sat staring at him or into space.

"That was... Really good," Artemis ventured to say. "Yeah, you have a great voice," Roy complemented. Barbara just smiled in satisfaction.

Dick then said, "Ok, um, Wally, truth or dare?" "Dare." "I dare you to run through the entire mountain while carrying Artemis." "Woah, woah, wait!" Artemis stood up. "You can't include me in a dare! Then I have to suffer too!" "Are you kidding me? She probably weighs 500 pounds! There is no way I am doing that!" "What kind of a dare is that anyway?" then Artemis turned to Wally. "Hey, I don't weigh 500 pounds!" "Oh yeah? I saw all the food you put on your plate yesterday!" "That coming from the guy who eats enough food in a day to feed China for a week!"

"WALLY!" Dick yelled. "Do it!"

Wally growled and Artemis protested, "I refuse to-" but she was suddenly swept off her feet, speeding down the hall and around the corner.

oOo

**A/N: How'd you like it? (: make sure to tell me! Obviously I kind of suck at writing fight scenes and stuff, so if you have any tips I'm welcome to advice! I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

Artemis struggled to get out of Wally's grasp. "Let go of me you jerk!" she was yelling while trying to pull away.

"This isn't going to go any faster if you keep struggling!" Wally yelled in return.

Zipping through the cave at the speed of sound didn't exactly feel good to Artemis. She couldn't open her eyes because of the wind, and Wally's arms didn't feel strong enough to hold her. The feelings went from bad to worse however when she was suddenly enveloped in water. She sputtered and coughed as she came up, gasping for air as she realized she was in the swimming pool. Wally was bobbing behind her. "What did you do?!" Artemis screamed at him.

"Hey!" he yelled back. "It is not easy running at super speed and trying to hold a heavy girl who won't quit struggling on a slippery pool deck!"

Artemis wanted to dunk his huge head under the water until he drowned. "I can't believe this!" she complained.

"STOP YELLING." Wally commanded.

"You deserve it!" Artemis fought back. "This is all your fault! And my new shirt is probably ruined!"

"It's called, 'Get a new one'." he simpered.

"It's called, 'being broke' genius!"

"Okay, okay," Wally said calmly. "Just stop yelling, we'll get dried off and be alright."

Suddenly the lighting in the room turned completely off. It was pitch black.

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!" Artemis brooded. "Wally, where are you? I can't see anything!"

"I'm right here! Just follow my voice; I think I found the edge of the pool."

"What's going on?" she asked worriedly, swimming in the direction of his voice. "Did the power go out?" "I think Batman just turned the power out in here for the night. I mean, there isn't any reason for people to be in here, right?"

"Right," she growled. "Unless they're being idiots."

Wally ignored her and grabbed her hand, leading it to the wall. They each climbed out.

"How the hell are we supposed to find our way out of here? I don't even know my way around!"

"Just hold my arm and I'll feel along the wall," Wally said, taking her hand. She let go and held on to his arm instead. They cautiously walked along the wall, running into something every few moments. Finally they found the door.

"Let's hope the lights are on in this room," Wally muttered. They were, and soon Artemis was toweling her hair with one of the towels from the gym.

"I still can't believe this happened," she mumbled. "Do you think this really counts as your dare?"

Wally grimaced. "After we tell them what happened they probably won't even remember the dare. But, just to be safe-" he picked her up again and sped away.

"Th-this is f-freezing," she shivered.

Soon they were back in the lounge again, but everyone had left. Wally grabbed a blanket and put it around her shoulders. "Um, thanks," she mumbled. "Can I, um, ask you a question?"

Wally shrugged. "Sure."

"How did you, you know, get super speed?"

The red head shrugged again. "I'm not sure _exactly. _I was at a labratory last week with my uncle, and I spilled some chemicals on myself, and then I had super speed." "Wow," Artemis raised an eyebrow. "That's... weird."

"Why are _you _here?" he asked. "I don't really know," she shrugged. "Everyone's here for a reason," Wally told her. "I'm sure you'll find out eventually." Then awkwardly,"Well, I'm going to get something to eat from the kitchen, so, um, goodnight!" then he zoomed off.

Artemis stood in the middle of the empty room. _I wonder where everyone else is, _she thought. Then looking at her watch which read 10:30, she grimaced. _Probably got tired of waiting for us._ She walked to her room and slipped into bed.

oOo

_June 18th, 2010_

_Ug, why did I come to this camp? Did I really think there was a chance I could be turned into a super hero? I've been practicing so hard (okay, it's only been like one day but whatever) and so far nothing is showing. Also I've been wondering why I was picked to come here. It's pretty obvious that Barbara was picked because her dad is the police commissioner (she told me he and Batman are pretty tight. And Batman is apparently her idol. Weird.) and Megan was chosen because, duh, she's a Martian and her uncle is Martian Manhunter. Conner is apparently a clone of Superman, found in Cadmus a few months ago. It's kind of freaky, you know? What if there was a clone of me down there? I don't think any one would want to clone me though. I cant do anything cool. Anyway, I don't know about the others, except for Wally who told me he had an accident in a science lab. Maybe if I ask the others, and they don't know either, we can all find out together. Is it because they saw potential in me? No, that's rediculous. They could have chosen any body else, someone more athletic. It's really nice to have Dick and Babs here though. it's easier to make it through Canary's workouts when you know some one. Which brings me to Wally. He is driving me insane! Today at the obstacle course we had to have partners to practice team work, and he would not quit speeding ahead! It made me feel really slow, and I could barely make it over the uneven bars again. I told him that as my partner, we need to help each other out, but his argument was that it was impossible to help me out when I was so slow. We fought about it for 20 minutes, but eventually we had to stop when everyone left us and Canary threatened to tape our mouths shut. Damn he's annoying. I can't believe I thought he was cute._

_ Anyway, I was really hoping they would have like some cookies or ice cream here, but they don't. The least healthy food they have is frozen yogurt. And it's the kind that sticks to the container and you have to lick off. Wally already took care of that, so I'm not even going to attempt eating some. I'm going to lunch now; hopefully they have something other than pasta today. I would appreciate a juicy cheeseburger. Or a roast beef and cheese sandwich. Those go so well with fried mozzarella sticks. You think I'll be lucky enough to see any of those? Probably not. Hasta la vista. _

_oOo_

Artemis walked into the kitchen at 2:00. Most everyone had finished eating already, so she grabbed a plate and started scooping lettuce onto it for a salad. She spread hummice on a bagel and poured some chocolate milk in her cup.

She walked to the kitchen table, then gulped. Roy was sitting alone. He suddenly looked up and smiled. "You like to eat late?" Artemis smiled with slight discomfort and tried to casually slide into a chair across from him.

"I don't usually eat late, I just wasn't hungry till now."

"Try to keep a regular eating schedule," he replied nonchalantly. "It's not good for your body to hold irregular eating habits."

"Yeah..." Artemis replied awkwardly, sipping her milk, then asked, "Do you know a lot about this stuff?"

"Actually, I learned most of it from my adoptive father," he replied.

"Yeah... about that... Why have you trained with Black Canary before?"

Roy shifted uncomfortably. "She, actually is kind of, dating my dad. We all train together."

"Wow," Artemis cocked an eyebrow and munched on her bagel. "So then your dad is..."

Roy cleared his throat and cautiously glanced around before continuing.

"Green Arrow. I'm adopted."

"The hair gives that away," Artemis smiled. "So why are _you_ here?" Roy asked suddenly.

"Yeah, haven't figured that out yet," Artemis replied, shoving some lettuce into her mouth. "I obviously don't have any talent in the gym."

"Oh, I don't know," Roy glanced at her while picking up his plate. "You have potential. Ever tried archery?"

"Um... no?" _Who tries archery in their spare time?_

"Why don't we go try it out now? Green Arrow has already taught me a lot, maybe you'll catch on quickly." he offered her a hand to stand up, and she followed him to the gym.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you to all of you** who** reviewed or followed! I can not tell you how much the reviews help :) Please please please leave a review if you enjoyed or have some tips for me! I really appreciate them! Also, I apologize if there are errors ALL over this, because the spell check is being crazy and putting words together and making up words that don't even exist, and being really weird. So sorry about that. I hope this story is interesting and I'm trying to get a good plot rolling, but you'll have to give me some time. Alright. That is all.**

**oOo**

"Alright, now... release."

Artemis let the arrow fly from her bow towards the target. It hit the outer ring. "That's a lot better," Roy complemented. "You're really learning to focus." "I still haven't hit the bull's eye yet," Artemis pointed out. "You'll get it eventually," he encouraged, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You're learning really quickly." She set the arrows in a quiver with the rest of the archery set and the two walked out in the corridor. "Wow... It's already 5:00," Artemis glanced at her phone and groaned. "That means training's in a half hour. And I'm not looking forward to it."

Roy smiled. "It's what helps you get better. Black Canary will probably kick our butts for a few more weeks, but all the while we'll be getting stronger."

Artemis shrugged. "I don't know, I don't think I've gotten any better over the past couple days. I mean, I still suck at _everything._"

"Stop saying that," Roy looked at her seriously. "If you want to get some where, Artemis, you need to _believe_ you can get some where." with that he walked down the hall and into his room. "Ooh la la..." Artemis smiled to herself as she went to her room to change her clothes.

"ARTEMIS!"

Said teenager jumped ten feet before seeing who had yelled her name. "Barbara. Has any one ever told you that heart attacks _aren't _healthy for human beings?" Barbara snickered. "Is that what you are? I was having a hard time figuring it out."

"Shut up."

"Irritable today?"

"No," Artemis rolled her eyes. "I just don't like being interrupted in the middle of a good thought process. So go away." They continued walking down the hall, and finally reached Artemis' door. The red head suddenly smiled almost evilly. "We're going over bars and gymnastic combinations tonight."

"Goody."

"Oh yeah, you suck at bars."

"It's the only thing _you're _good at."

"Says the girl who only passed computer applications because of me," Babs crossed her arms. "If you're so good with technology, why don't you hack into Canary's brain and get her to give us a workout I can do?" Artemis replied heatedly. "She's not a computer, Arty."

"Then you're no help to me. Go away."

"PMS."

"_Shut_ _up._"

Barbara raised her hands defensively and walked towards her own room. "See you in ten!" She called over her shoulder. Artemis opened her door and sighed. She was not in the mood for a workout. She changed into gym attire and looked herself in the mirror. "Come on, Artemis. You just need to perk up a little. Listen to some music or something. That's it. Turn on music." She went over to the radio and turned it on, volume raised high. She was met with static on the first station she tried. The next stations were commercials. She looked at the clock. She had five minutes to get in a better mood. The next four stations she tried were full of static as well. "GAAAAAH!" she screamed and ripped open her journal.

_June 18th, 2010  
_

_THE STUPID RADIO AND STUPID GYMNASTICS AND STUPID FAILING AT EVERYTHING AND NO ICE CREAM AND STUPID ANFDSHJEFNBWBYRG!_

oOo

The campers all gathered around Black Canary, ready to start training. "Has any one seen Artemis?" she asked, looking around.

"Probably having a hate fest in her room," Wally mumbled.

"She should be coming soon," Barbara smiled, but was a little worried. Just then the blonde walked into the room.

"Hi, sorry I'm late." she smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, we've kind of been waiting for you. The rest of us were ready _on time._" Wally criticized. Artemis slowly turned to him with a stoney look. To Wally, she looked like she had lasers shooting out of her eyes burning right into his chest. He became quiet.

"Well," Black Canary drew everyone's attention. "Just make sure to be on time tomorrow, Artemis. Now let's get started everyone. I'm going to take you through a few basic movements that we will eventually combine with your combat skills." The group moved over to the mats.

"Hey, are you okay?" Zatanna put a hand on Artemis' shoulder. "Oh, yeah," Artemis was embarrassed. "I just... had a little melt down with the radio and no reception. Been a rough day."

"I see," Zatanna smiled. "You can borrow my iPod sometime if you want."

Artemis smiled in return. She liked this girl. "Thanks, I'll probably take you up on that." Zatanna nodded and then focused her attention back on Canary.

The lithe superhero showed them different combinations of cartwheels and back handsprings, then broke them down into smaller portions, working with each camper on the little details. After an hour had passed, each camper had learned handsprings and other basic movements. Artemis shocked herself by mastering the movements so quickly.

"I suggest each of you take time every day to stretch. Flexibility is key to good combat," Canary told them, ignoring the boys' whispers. "Next we'll work with the uneven bars. Every movement, from pulling yourself up, to swinging from the low bar to the high bar, you will use in a fight." Artemis groaned. This was going to be so embarrassing.

Dick went first, throwing in a few releases just to show off, Barbara went next and stuck her landing, not to mention flinging with perfect grace from the low to the high and back again.

Artemis swallowed hard and glanced at Barbara who was receiving praise from Canary. Babs gave her a reassuring thumbs up. Approaching the evil apparatus, Artemis' palms were already sweaty. _How do gymnasts do this?_ she tried to recall what she had seen on the Olympics. _Chalk. They use some kind of chalk baby powder stuff. _"Could I get some chalk?" Artemis asked Canary nervously. Giving her a quizzical look, she replied, "In a real battle you won't be able to have chalk for traction, so it's best we learn with out it."

"Oh, right." _Damn you. _She gripped the low bar and pushed herself up. Squeezing her eyes shut as so not to scream, she swung upside down once for momentum, and on the second time releasing, flinging her arms wildly to reach the high bar.

_Plop. _

A few gasps came from the girls, while the boys chorused, "Oooh..." Artemis sat up and shook her head groggily. "That was a good try, Artemis," Canary said as Dick came over and helped her stand. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah, I think so," she replied, while her head screamed, _Hell no! I just fell flat on my face in front of everyone! _

"Next time you may want to swing a couple of extra times for momentum," Canary advised. "And a very important element to any learning process," turning to the others, "is to be confident. You must go in knowing that you can, or else you'll tighten up. Would you like to try again, Artemis?" "Um, no thanks. I'm good." the blonde replied and sunk back into the crowd of other kids in embarrassment.

The other kids nailed it perfectly. Okay, they fell from the bars a few times too, especially Wally, and Zatanna a couple of times too, and, well, Kaldur didn't get it the first time either, _but no one compares to how much I sucked, _Artemis grimaced. Finally the dreaded training session was over, with encouraging promises that they would all get to have a try at it again soon. "Oh, joy," Artemis muttered to Barbara.

"What are you grumbling about now?" the red head sniffed. "I rather enjoyed that session."

"_You_ were amazing," Artemis pointed out incredulously. "I was awful!"

"You only tried once, Artemis! No one else made it their first time either! But you just gave up! You have to give yourself more chances. Failing is how you learn." She had to admit to herself Barbara had a point.

"Jerk."

"No. I'm making a valid point."

"Whatever."

"Seriously, go practice extra after dinner." Artemis thought for a moment. "Nah." "Suit yourself. I'm only trying to help." Barbara shrugged and went into her room. Artemis did likewise.

oOo

After everyone was clean, the campers sat down to a large meal of chicken alfredo. The meal was uneventful, other than hanging on the brink of a food fight when Wally was demonstrating spontaneous combustion and threw a peice of Alfredo in Artemis' hair. Afterwards, Artemis sat in her room, texting Bette and listening to the radio. As the intro to Call Me Maybe began, Artemus slammed the "Off" button hard and tried to think of a different song.

Every tune she hummed turned into the catchy song she loathed. Finally she got up and walked down the hall. Knocking quietly on Zatanna's door, she heard a muffled, "Come in," and a blow of the nose. Artemis opened the door and started, "Hey, I was wondering if I could borrow your iPod. You see, that stupid-" she stopped, then, "Are you alright?"

Zatanna was sitting on her bed with a photo album and a pile of tissues. Her face was red and blotchy. Artemis suddenly felt awkward. She hadn't meant to intrude on Zatanna; she had just wanted the damn song out of her head. Zatanna sniffed and looked at Artemis with a sheepish smile. "You want to borrow my iPod? Here, sit down. It's right in my dresser drawer." The girl got up and felt around in her drawer till she found it.

Artemis was sitting cross legged on her bed and Zatanna sat next to her. "Is there anything you want to tell me about?" she questioned, glancing at a photo album with a picture of the girl when she was a few years younger hugging a tall, dark haired man in a suit.

"I'll be okay," Zatanna started, closing the album. "It's just that, my dad's birthday is today." Artemis took the hint that he had some how died, and just nodded solemnly. "How long ago did he pass away?"

Zatanna gave Artemis a strange, far away look. "He didn't pass away, at least, not that I know of."

Artemis thought that her companion was going to spring a fresh set of tears, but Zatanna swallowed and continued. "He... went missing about six months ago. I'm not sure what happened, no one is, but all I can be certain of is... I- I miss him." Artemis put an arm around her shoulder, trying her best to comfort the girl. She wasn't use to showing affection in ways like this. With a sister and father gone since she was five, it wasn't easy to do. But trying not to seem awkward, Artemis whispered, "It's alright, it will be okay," then with slight amusement, "You've got _Batman_ on your side. We'll find him for sure."

"Thanks, Artemis," Zatanna smiled. "It's nice to have someone to talk to."

"You can talk to me any time," She smiled in return. Artemis got up to leave, but Zatanna called her back. "You forgot the iPod," she grinned.

"That's okay, I don't need it any more."

As Artemis walked through the silent halls on the way back to her room, she passed the gym. The lights were still on, but no one appeared to be in it.

She silently pushed the door opened and crept in. Making sure one more time that she was alone, She walked over to the uneven bars. After a few arm swings and stretches, she gazed at the bars with determination. _Deep breaths. Deep breaths._ She ran towards the low bar and hurled herself onto it with an iron grip. Swinging a couple of times, she closed her eyes. Release. _Reach, reach!_ She fell to the ground, but landed on her feet. Standing up, she walked back to the low bar. Pulling herself up, she began swinging again. Pushing hard, she let go of the bar and reached for the high bar. This second attempt ended much like the first, but she was closer this time. She breathed in deeply through her nostrils. _I can do it. _

"It would definitely help to pull up more after you release," a voice called.

Artemis froze.

_Dick._

"How long have you been watching me?" she turned to him with an angry expression.

"I was working out here after dinner, and I was getting a drink from the fountain when you came in. You look like you could use a few pointers," he replied nonchalantly.

"Go away, Dick."

"But why?"

"Because I don't want you watching me. It's too embarrassing."

"You're going to have people watching you when you're fighting crime."

"If I even make it on the team!" Artemis countered hotly. "And so far, it doesn't look like I'm going to."

"Artemis," Dick, with a I'm-Bruce-Wayne's-kid-and-I-get-what-I-want expression, came over to her and used her arms to make motions. "When you release, you have _got _to reach forward, but not drop your legs. You need to almost reach a pike position."

"I am _not _that flexible!" Artemis stated. "And I _don't _want you watching me!"

"Give me a chance, Arty. You gave _Roy_ a chance."

"How-how did you know about that?" she stammered.

Dick grinned evilly. "Technology genius, remember? Now, I have had experience with this. Trust me, and try again."

"But- I really don't want you to watch."

"Pretend I'm not here then. Just ignore me. You'll have to learn how to disregard all the people watching you."

Artemis took deep breaths once again. _I can do it. I can do it._

She ran towards the bar. _Tight legs. _Pulling herself up and swinging around another time, she flung herself with all her might towards the bar, trying to reach the best pike position she could muster.

Her eyes were wide with astonishment as her fingers found the high bar, vice gripping it so that she would not fall. Hanging from the bar she nearly screamed to Dick, "I did it!"

"That's great!Now try a dismount; just like we practiced."

Artemis took deep breaths as she pushed up again and began swinging. As she released, she gave a high pitched scream and landed on her feet, then knees, then face.

Dick cautiously walked over to her. "Arty? Are you okay?"

The blonde exploded off the mat and grabbed Dick in a bear hug. "HOLY MOTHER I DID IT! I ACTUALLY DID IT!" she let go and spun around, then slowed down and plopped down on the mat. She breathed a sigh of relief then smiled gratefully at Dick. "Thank you."

The boy was a little to astonished for words. He nodded, then managed to say, "Yeah, any time." She suddenly stood up. "Well, I'll see tomorrow at practice right? We _are _starting morning and night practices, right?"

"Yeah," he replied. Artemis walked to the doors and opened them, but Dick called to her, "Artemis?"

The girl turned and looked at him quizzically. "Good job." She smiled her thanks again and went to her room. Laying down in bed, she couldn't help but feel that things were starting to look up.

A/N:** So? Did you like? Did you no like? Review and tell me, cause I'm dying to know! In the next chapter I'll be introducing a bigger plot twist, if this story is worth continuing, of course. That is up to you! Is it worth continuing? Be sure to let me know! Until next time! **


	7. Chapter 7

Artemis rolled over in her bed and blinked as she noticed sunlight streaming in the window. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed as she looked at the alarm clock which read 8:15.

In her excitement from the night before, she had forgotten to set her alarm. Pulling on her black shorts and blue shirt, taking no notice of the colors, she grabbed a granola bar and ran out the door. She arrived at the gym just as every one was gathering in front of Black Canary.

Wally was flirting with Megan, who was hardly noticing between shy glances at Conner. Dick and Barbara were comparing computer software, and Zatanna was politely asking Kaldur questions about Atlantis. Artemis' attention was focused on Roy, who was talking to an older girl with black hair. She was obviously flirting with the red-head and he seemed to be enjoying it.

Artemis suddenly nudged Zatanna. "Who's the new girl?" "She came this morning," she whispered in reply. "Batman introduced her at breakfast, but _you _weren't there." she grinned. "Overslept," Artemis explained. "What's her name? Is she Roy's age? Where is she from?" "Stop it!" Zatanna laughed. "I can only handle so much at once!" Artemis gave her a look, but Zatanna grinned back. "Her name is Jasmine Nguyen, she's from Keystone City. Is she Roy's age? Yeah, I'm not a stalker who's obsessed with him, so I wouldn't know."

After receiving a pinch from her companion, Zatanna focused her attention on Canary. Artemis tried to do the same, but couldn't help looking over at Jasmine and Roy, who were sneaking glances at each other. Her blood started to boil. Who the hell was this girl who thought she could just show up and steal everyone's attention? Well, Roy's attention at least. Really, who did she think she was?

Although this was a minor disappointment on top of eating no breakfast, she tried to stay positive about her newly learned trick. Everything looked a lot brighter now. The rock climbing wall now looked easily conquerable, and the speed section of course would be a piece of cake. Other than the strength portions of the course, she was sure she had it made. Besides, she knew the best way to get stronger was to practice.

While warming up, Artemis walked over to the pull up bar and leaped onto it, gripping it tightly. Her record from school was five, and she decided right then and there that she was going to beat it. Breathing deeply with each pull, the gradual aching in her arms wasn't too bad until the sixth one, and she immediately jumped down from the bar, stumbling a little as she landed. She looked up, embarrassed, as she realized a little group of the campers had gathered to watch her. "Tired already?" Wally smirked. Roy and Jasmine were standing watching her as well. Roy smiled at Artemis. "Nice job; that's more pull ups than Wally can do." "Hey!" Wally defended himself. "That is not true!"

"Prove it!" Artemis challenged.

Wally gave a curt nod and approached the bar. He jumped and grabbed it. As he started, Jasmine advanced towards Artemis with an almost sly smile. "I don't think we've met before. My name is Jasmine." The blond replied with a half-hearted smile, "Artemis." She had a low interest in conversing with her rival for Roy's attention, but Jasmine obviously didn't see her as threatening competition, because she superciliously continued the conversation. "That's a very interesting name; the Goddess of the moon, right?" At this Wally choked on his own spit and lost his grip on the bar, trying to stifle a laugh. Artemis was surprised. "Um, yeah, I think it's something like that."

"And what city are you from?"

"Gotha-"

"I thought so. You look like that type," Jasmine cut her off, smiling archly. Artemis was about to ask what the bitch's problem was when Roy stepped in. "Wally made it to seven," he smiled. She frowned in determination. Then she approached the bar again, this time catching it easily in her grasp and pulling herself up with more confidence than the last time.

_You got this, you got this. _

She pushed through the pain of each pull and kept going with out thinking about how many she'd done or how many more she was going to do. She closed her eyes and tried to shut out the discomfort and Roy counting, "12... 13... 14..." When she reached the point where every pull was a shaky, groaning heave, she couldn't hold on any longer. Her arms unconsciously let go of the bar and she fell to the ground, plopping onto the floor. "27!" Roy exclaimed, grinning. "Beat that," she smirked at Wally while breathing heavily. Wally accepted the challenge and jumped onto the bar. His effort was good, but he was already tired from the pull ups he had done previously. He reached 25 before shamefully falling on the floor. He couldn't meet Artemis' triumphant gaze.

She was about to give a victory speech when Jasmine smiled, "I think I'll try, kids," and suddenly leapt towards the bar to begin her pull ups. Artemis was amazed at the biceps on the girl. She didn't even look tired when she passed 30. Wally began to yawn in boredom after a while, and Artemis was getting annoyed at how impressive she was. Okay, more like jealous of how impressed _Roy_ was with her. Jasmine jumped down without even breaking a sweat. "50!" Roy patted her on the shoulder. "Damn, Jasmine, you're fit." The two walked off together laughing about something Artemis assumed was an inside joke, since they were apparently _such _good friends now.

"They're like two peas in a pod," Wally slowly stood up. Artemis turned to him in annoyance. "Don't ever use that expression again." He was smirking already.

"Someone's a little jelly..."

"Shut up. And don't bring it up again."

Wally just smiled and stayed silent. They walked to the the kids that were regrouping with Canary. The rest of the practice was brutal for Artemis. She was exhausted from the pull ups, and frustrated that she had been beaten so badly by Jasmine. Getting stronger was such a slow process, and Jasmine would be getting better all the time as well. If it was possible for her to get better, that is. She already looked like she could be on the Justice League. She was perfect at everything, and although Artemis was now doing much better than she had earlier in the week, she hardly felt excited when no one even noticed.

Later that evening after another impressive practice on Jasmine's part, Zatanna and Artemis sat in the lounge together. Artemis was sulking in a chair and Zatanna was reading a book on magic. Zatanna suddenly peered over her book at her companion.

"You know, you had really good practices today."

She gave a huff in reply.

"Artemis, just because the new girl kicked everyone's butts doesn't take anything away from the fact that you jumped some major hurtles today." The girl gave Zatanna a sarcastic smile and spoke through gritted teeth, "She thinks she is _the shit. _Canary thinks she is _flawless._ Wally thinks she's _hot._ And- and-"

"Roy thinks she's the most amazing person on the planet?" Zatanna finished for her.

"Yes!" Artemis exclaimed. "It's driving me crazy! He's hardly talked to any one else since she arrived!"

"Don't worry, if Jasmine gets him first, you still have Wally."

"Please don't joke about that."

"Sorry," Zatanna examined her nails. "I just happened to notice-"

"Stop it."

"You are so blind!" the dark haired girl tried. "Which reminds me... what happened to you two the night of truth or dare? You guys never came back." "We _came _back. But you had already left," Artemis explained, then changed the subject. "What are you reading?"

Zatanna let the obvious turn of the conversation go and replied, "It's a magic book. My dad was pretty into magic, and he taught me a few things before he... disappeared." "That's cool," Artemis replied, not really sure what to think. There were magic people in the Justice League, right? Meaning magic _was_ real, right?

"I thought if I could get down some of the spells, then I could kind of, I don't know, follow in his footsteps." Artemis admired her friend. She wasn't afraid to do what she loved and wanted to do. "That's really neat. Good luck."

Zatanna stood up and yawned. "Thanks. I think I'll go to bed now. I'm pretty exhausted from this double practice thing." The two walked into the hall and met the other girls, who were turning in as well. "Nighty night, Arty," Babs smiled. "By the way, you were awesome today."

"Yeah, you are improving so much!" Megan chimed in.

"How about the way Wally got his ass handed to him in the pull up contest?" Barbara complemented.

Artemis grimaced. "Yeah, but I wasn't the one who handed it to him."

As if on cue, Jasmine walked into the hall. "Bed time for all of you? Sounds like a pretty good idea. It's good to get enough sleep when you are just starting heavy work outs." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'll be in the living room watching a movie with some of the guys if you need me." She turned on her heel and strutted out of the corridor. It took every ounce of Artemis low energy to contain her anger. Zatanna tried to lighten her mood. "Well, we all know who's going to be looking like a zombie at practice tomorrow." The girls bade each other goodnight and parted to their different rooms.

Jasmine didn't look like a zombie the next day. She was only slightly less than perfect looking, actually. It was the same case the next day, and the one after that, and pretty much all the time. Meanwhile, Artemis had new motivations for practice. She stretched every morning and night to increase her flexibility, and before bed she would do 200 crunches. It wasn't much, but she figured a little each day had to help somehow.

The uneven bars were now easy to handle, and she had even made it through the obstacle course a couple of times. The course was becoming easier for everyone. Wally even looked like he was gaining muscle. He could probably actually hold Artemis and run at the same time without getting tired. Every practice she put in all the effort she could, and was making sure to recover correctly each time. She didn't mind the lack of ice cream and cheese burgers so much now, although every once in a while after a hard work out she'd crave a giant steak. She made sure to include lean proteins in her meals after every practice, and have plenty of vegetables to balance it out.

From studying online and in sessions with Canary, she learned that there were more ways to get better than just working out hard. Four times a week she'd sneak into the gym when no one was watching and practice archery. She felt silly secretly practicing, but archery was something for herself. It wasn't anyone else's, well, except Roy's, but she didn't mind sharing with him. Sometimes she'd be going to the gym to practice, and find him in there already shooting at targets on the other side of the room, hitting them perfectly. She'd just stand and peer through the window at him, watching each pluck of the bow, sending arrows gracefully whizzing across the room. She didn't want to seem creepy, but she actually learned a lot from watching him. This was the thing at which she could be better than everyone else. She was planning on trouncing the other campers on the obstacle course too, though. That was going to take a lot more work. She needed every skill to make it through, and would need to master every skill to make it through in record time. Jasmine had the talent of an ninja and was closing in on the record. Time was short, so Artemis worked harder than ever for the rest of June.

The month passed quickly, and soon every one was was familiar with each other. Kaldur, being the most mature, was always the one that kept the others out of trouble (most of the time). Zatanna and Dick were really hitting it off, much to the jealousy of Barbara. And though Artemis prodded her to find something interesting to talk with him about, Dick and Babs only ever conversed about technology. Dick seemed interested in it enough though, and Barbara still had many a pleasant conversation with him. Wally was still annoying as hell. Roy and Jasmine were still irritatingly close, but Artemis still managed to get in an archery practice or two with Roy every week. Megan and Conner, after getting over her extreme sweetness and his extreme awkwardness, actually balanced each other out enough to become a couple. You could probably say that over all, things were going well in the Camp Justice family.

_July 1st, 2010_

_Sorry It's been so long since I've written. Wait, did I really just apologize to myself? Whatever. I've been super busy with training lately, and have been pretty much too exhausted to write. We're getting a break this weekend though. The Fourth of July is on Sunday, so we are going to our homes tomorrow and spending the rest of the weekends there. I am so excited to see Mom again. Dick, Babs and I are already making some big plans. Barbara's uncle lives on a farm and every year her family has a giant reunion on the Fourth of July. They go swimming in a pond and eat lots of food, and watch fireworks when the sun goes down and eat more food, then roast marshmallows for smores and eat more food, and it's going to be so fun! I cannot wait. It will be nice to just sleep in and relax too. Oh, and to get away from Wally for the weekend. And stupid Jasmine Nguyen. She's driving me insane. Anyway, I have a practice to be at, and packing to do for the weekend home, so I guess I'll talk to you, myself, later. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY!_

Artemis closed her journal and stepped into the hall to go to practice. She passed Jasmine, determined not to look at her, and kept going. Jasmine raised an eyebrow as she passed Artemis, then slipped into her own room. While inside, Jasmine took out a cell phone and dialed a few numbers. It rang once before she was connected. "Who is this?" a deep voice at the other end questioned. Jasmine answered,"It's the first of the month; I'm reporting in."

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! So this is my attempt at a cliff hanger! Any of you have guesses as to what's going to happen in the future? What do you think about Jasmine? I want to know! **

**The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, and it is going to be so fun in the next chapter! Can't wait! So, if you enjoyed reading this, or even DIDN'T enjoy reading it, can you do me a favor? Please click that little review button and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow! I am sorry this took so incredibly long! I have been crazy busy lately! Thank you so much to all who reviewed and followed and favorited! I really really appreciate it! I know you have some questions right now, but you will just have to wait and find out! I will tell you however that they are all _training_ to be super heroes, so no, Robin does not exist _yet._ That is all I have to say! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

Artemis stepped out of the phone booth queasily. She still wasn't used to the zeta beam thing. When she felt like she was all in one piece again, she walked happily to her apartment, her thoughts traveling to her reunion with her mom. She stepped onto the street, immediately meeting a strong stench wafting from the sewers. Horns were honking loudly in every direction. A few people shoved past Artemis as she stood staring up at the looming sky scrapers. Yep, she was definitely home. When she reached the door of her small but cozy apartment, she took out her key and unlocked the door. The hinges squeaked as it swung opened and Artemis smiled as she walked into the home she had missed so much. Although they lived in a shabby apartment building, Paula Crock had done her best to decorate it to look warm and welcoming. Artemis couldn't love anything more. She could smell dinner being cooked and called out, "Mom! I'm home!" Paula came wheeling out from the kitchen and spread out her arms, Artemis immediately falling into them. "Oh, Artemis! I missed you so much!" "I missed you too, Mom," she replied, squeezing her tight. "My word, look at your arms! You are so strong!" "Thanks, I've been working really hard," she replied, then she stood up. "What are you making for dinner? You better not have put a lot of work into it." "I'm just fine, thank you," her mother waved her hand. "I prepared your favorite dinner." Artemis' weak point was not ice cream, though she could eat a gallon of it a week. Her constant craving was Vietnamese food, just the way her mom made it. Squealing in delight, Artemis ran to the kitchen, Paula close behind. They sat down to eat and enjoy catching up.

They talked about their plans for the Fourth of July, Artemis mentioning her wish to go with Barbara to the farm. Her mother had plans to spend time with a few friends from the ladies' group at her church, so she gave the okay for Artemis to go. That night, they watched a movie together and went to bed satisfied with the thought of a chance to sleep in the next day.

Artemis woke up the next morning with her mind on archery and camp. She had forgotten that she was at home and gave a happy sigh as she rolled over to look at what time it was. "Seven o' clock!" she exclaimed when she read the time. She shoved her pillow over her head and tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes she realized it was no use and hopped out of bed to change her clothes. She ate breakfast with her mom, then helped clean the apartment in places her mom had trouble. Paula went out to lunch with friends, leaving Artemis with a promise to bring her back some dessert. She made some lunch then sat on the couch. She turned on the tv and flipped through the channels, but nothing interesting was on. Finally she got up and went to the door way of her bedroom. She leaped and grabbed the edge, then started pull ups. She didn't have anything better to do, so she might as well stay in shape during the break.

When Paula came home, she found her daughter laying on the floor, drenched in sweat. "Um, Artemis? Are you okay?" "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just working out a little." Paula handed her a take home box holding a slice of cheese cake and Artemis reached out with a shaky hand to take it. "Are you sure you're alright, hon?" her mother asked worriedly. "Yeah, mom. I'm like this all the time after working out." Paula was bewildered, never having seen her daughter like this before, but hesitantly made her way into her bed room, wondering if it had been a mistake to send her daughter to the camp after all.

oOo

The next morning Barbara picked Artemis up and took her to her house. "I am so excited!" Artemis was telling Babs as they pulled into her drive way. "It's going to be so much fun!" Barbara agreed, adding, "I'm so glad my uncle let me take you guys, since I don't have any cousins my age." Barbara lead Artemis into the living room and motioned to the couch for her to set her day bag on. "The others should be here any minute," she smiled. "Others?" Artemis asked confusedly. "I thought only Dick was coming." "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that-" she was cut off by the sound of the front door opening, yielding Dick. Behind him, to Artemis' complete horror, was Wally.

"Hey girls! Ready for a party? Its gonna be the aster of your life-" Artemis grabbed Barbara by the arm and pulled into the hall. "Is it just me, or did _Wally_ just walk into your living room?" Babs wriggled her arm free of her companion's grasp and shrugged, "Sorry, got to stick out for my fellow ginger. Dick asked if he could come along, so I said yes."

"That is without doubt the worst decision you will ever make in your meaningless life!"

"You can be a party popper if you want, Arty, but I am going to go have fun with our friends." Barbara left Artemis sulking in the hall.

Ten minutes later they were in the Gordon's van driving to the farm. "How long 'till we get there?" Wally complained. "Five less minutes since the last time you asked us," Dick answered. "Meaning?" "One more hour. Now shut up." Artemis answered icily. "How about we all play a game!" Barbara suggested, catching the glares on Artemis Wally's faces. "What game did you have in mind?" the blonde asked. "Artemis knows how to play games? Like as in _having fun_?" Wally mocked. Dick quickly cut in. "Let's play 'Who's Line is it Any way?'" "Is that the one where two people face off in a conversation of questions?" Barbara asked. "Yeah, and if you answer in a sentence you have to step out and someone else joins." "I'll start, then," Babs proposed. This automatically meant she and Dick were going to have a show down. The rapid fire of questions began with Barbara asking, "Are you jealous of Wally?"

"For what?"

"Don't you think he and Arty have great chemistry?"

"What does that have to do with being jealous?"

It took Barbara a second to answer. She was recovering from the punch Artemis had given her. "Didn't you ask her out?"

"How'd you know about that?"

"Aren't Artemis and I best friends?"

"Didn't she just punch you?"

"Haven't you heard of an abusive relationship?"

"Is that what you two have?"

"Um..." Barbara struggled to find an answer. "Isn't Artemis abusive to everyone?"

"YES!" Wally cut in. Artemis punched him too.

"She _is _abusive, isn't she?"

"Isn't that what I said?"

Dick paused. "I surrender!" he finally exclaimed. Artemis hurriedly stepped in. "Why'd you call me abusive?"

"Why are you abusive?"

"Why don't you leave if you think I'm abusive?"

"Don't you love me?"

"How could I?" At this Wally and Dick both murmured, "Oooh..." and Barbara stared at Artemis in shock. Wally quickly stepped in. "How could you say that to your best friend?"

"It's just a game, isn't it?"

"So you didn't mean it?"

"Isn't she my best friend?"

"Do people say that to their best friends?"

"Why are you so nosey?"

"Why are you so angry all the time?"

"Why do you have to _make_ me angry all the time?"

"Why are you the only person my charms don't work on?"

"Does eating like a maniac and being shamelessly rude work on _anyone_?" By this time Dick had opened a bag of chips and was sharing it with Babs as they sat back and observed.

"Did you forget extremely handsome and attractive?"

"Are those even words in your vocabulary?"

"What is your problem?!" Wally exclaimed. It didn't matter what questions he threw at her, she always managed to answer fast enough. They continued bantering back and forth while Barbara slowly started to fall asleep, and Dick was now absorbed with his phone. The hour passed by quickly, and the two were still going at it when they arrived at the farm. Barbara yawned. "Okay, okay, guys, it's a tie! Just shut up already!" Dick whispered something to her and she laughed. This did not improve Artemis' mood. She jumped out of the car followed by the others.  
Mr. Gordon led the way into the farm house. Barbara introduced her family members to each of her friends. "Come get some food, kids!" her uncle offered warmly. They piled food onto their plates and walked outside to sit at some picnic tables. The Gordon family was swarming all over the farm and the atmosphere was cheery and relaxing. After eating, Barbara sprang up. "Badminton time!" she ran to an open yard with a net in it. "I'm so full," Artemis complained. "Can't we join the elderly over there?" she gestured to the elders playing a mild game of croquet. "Don't be a baby. You can be on my team," Barbara pulled her to the other side of the net and handed her a racket. The teams played well, but the boys had an unfair advantage because of Wally's super speed. After many failed attempts to play at a normal speed, Wally and Dick beat the girls. They made their way over to the bonfire and roasted hot dogs over the flames. Artemis, still full, asked curiously, "How can you even think of eating?" "That's what the Fourth of July is for!" Barbara replied, grinning. "Freedom to eat as much food as you want!"  
Night was starting to fall as the kids sat in a side yard alone. "This is where the best place to watch fireworks is," Barbara informed them. "Secluded from all the grownups, and still a great view." Dick's phone suddenly buzzed and lit up. He suddenly exclaimed, "OOH!" The others all turned their attention to him. "It's official! Jasmine and Roy are a couple!" Wally and Barbara gasped and Artemis wanted to scream. _No! This couldn't be happening! _She felt like her world was crashing down on her all at once. She was devastated at the news and was trying very hard to compose herself. Her one crush dating someone else! She had just started to feel like she was making head way, then all of the sudden, taken! _And by that bitch Jasmine._ She suddenly noticed Wally's gaze on her._ Great, now I'm never going to hear the end of it. _She shot him an angry glance in return, but her expression turned to one of horror as he was suddenly knocked over by the blur of an object. Before she even knew what was happening, Wally was up again and speeding circles opposite of what looked like a boy with a yellow mask on. She couldn't believe her eyes.  
Wally was fighting another speedster.

oOo

**So, what did you think? Be sure to tell me! I really really love the reviews! I also want to hear what you think is going to happen next! If I get some good feed back, I might be able to write the next chapter faster! Any way, till next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I only got *sniff* one review :( But despite that, I still am posting this chapter a little earlier than usual. I hope you all like it!**

Artemis couldn't believe her eyes.  
Wally was fighting another speedster.

The two were blurs as they ran in and out of the yard, and Artemis could hear grunts and cries of pain from the two with every blow they landed on each other. Barbara looked on in shock, similar to Artemis, but Dick had ripped off his jacket and now ran into the fight. Somehow he managed to knock the opposing speedster on the ground, pinning him down and throwing a few punches of his own. Artemis's mind suddenly clicked and she ran over to the horse shoe game set up a few yards away, grabbing a horse shoe and running back to the scene. The mysterious boy had pushed Dick off of him and wiped some blood off his face. He turned back to Wally who was breathing heavily and darted towards him again. Wally dodged the attack and the two started at it again. Artemis concentrated and tried not to let the two dashing figures confuse her. With all her might she threw the horse shoe at the boy, hitting him squarely in the head. "Nice shot," Dick complemented as he ran past her towards the figure.

The two engaged and Dick blocked all his attacks as if he were a speedster himself. Artemis couldn't help but stare in wonder at his abilities. _Where did he learn to do that?_ As if frustrated by this waste of time, the boy let out a grunt and turned away from Dick to run, but was met by Barbara, who was behind him and ready to fight, though she looked terrified. She flip kicked him to the ground, but in a second he was up again and back at Wally, this time with double the fury. The red head did his best to keep up with attacks but was having a hard time. His shirt was ripped and bloody, and he stumbled to the ground after a swift kick from the boy. With a scream Artemis hurled another horse shoe at him before he could punch the exhausted Wally.

He cried out as the heavy metal found its mark on his back, and in a second he was at Artemis side, ready to attack. At first she was caught off guard, but her reflexes helped her out by trying her best to block his attacks. He was much faster than her, however, and he landed a hard blow to her stomach, knocking her down. In a flash Wally had jumped on his back, trying to pull his mask off as a distraction. The boy flipped him off his back, looked around nervously, then as fast as he had come, he was gone.

Barbara helped Dick stand to his feet, then offered to grab some bandages for the boys. As she walked away, Dick called, "Babs," -the girl turned- "Don't tell the adults about this." The girl nodded gravely and went to the house. She came back quickly with the bandages and anesthetic. Wally and Dick had both pulled their bloody and torn shirts off and rubbed the anesthetic on their wounds. "I think Batman should hear about this," Dick broke the silence. The others nodded and he pulled a device from his pocket and pressed a button to connect him to their "counselor." "Where'd you get that?" Barbara asked curiously. "Oh, I, um, made it," he replied. "You made a special communicator to contact Batman? You must be more obsessed than Babs," Artemis smiled. "Yeah, sure," Dick mumbled as he walked off to talk to Batman. "Is there anything I can get you, Wally?" Barbara offered. "A bottle of water would be nice, thank you," the tired speedster replied. She nodded and walked away.

Artemis sat still, trying to process everything that had happened. "Um, Artemis, could you help me with this?" Wally was suddenly by her side, holding a bandage up to his bleeding arm. "Oh, yes, of course," she replied, taking the gauze in her thin fingers and wrapping it slowly around his wound. He winced in pain as the bandage got tighter. Artemis looked at him in concern but said nothing.

"Artemis?"

She snapped her head upwards to meet his gaze. Wally swallowed and continued, "I'm sorry." Artemis was surprised. "Sorry? For what?"

"Roy... he and... I knew you, you know, kind of... liked him."

"Oh, it's fine I guess. I mean, she's already beaten me at everything else."

"Hey," Wally looked straight into her eyes. "Don't sell yourself short. You're more amazing than she'll ever be."

Artemis' eyes grew a little wider, but she couldn't keep a small smile from forming on her lips. Wally quickly added, "At combat of course."

"Of course."

She tied the bandage and patted it. "Thank you," Wally whispered in reply, meeting her gaze once more. Barbara suddenly approached and handed Wally a bottle of water and a clean t-shirt. "My cousin's," she explained. "I hope it fits." Wally smiled gratefully, "Thank you." Dick received the same and then announced, "Batman wants a full report from all of us tomorrow." They all nodded. Suddenly a screeching noise pierced through the air and the night sky was lighted with color. "Alright, fireworks!" Wally smiled. They sat together and watched the beautiful display, and were silent during the entire exhibition.

oOo

"Well, what happened?"

"Piece of cake. They'll be no match for us."

"Really? Because it looks like you had your ass handed to you."

The speedster hissed at his companion. Tired and bruised, he had just arrived at his base. "So it went a little rough, but with our powers combined, they'll be easily destroyed."

"Don't underestimate them, Zoom. Have you forgotten the Martian and Kryptonian? Not to mention an Atlantean and a young adult training under Green Arrow. You faced the easy ones tonight."

"I also faced them _alone_." Zoom protested. "I don't understand why I couldn't have gone with Klarion, at least."

"You know what would have happened. He would finished them all off before things had even warmed up. We needed you to test the capacity of the speedster's powers. The others are simply minor distractions."

"Don't you underestimate them either!" the boy warned. "The Grayson kid was nearly as agile as the speedster, and more nimble at that. There were a couple of girls who seemed to almost know what they were doing too."

"Don't worry about them any longer," the comrade replied. "Like I said, they are minor distractions. We already have someone looking into them closely."

"Why'd you send her? I can take care of an under cover job just as well."

"Must you always complain? You know that super speed is more conspicuous. I'd like to see you try to create an explanation that didn't sound unethical. Besides, with your temper you'd screw up the whole plan."

At this Zoom's face turned red with anger. Trying not to prove what his mentor had just accused him, he silently walked off to his room, a slight resemblance of a jail cell. Alone in the silence he mumbled, "I'll prove that I don't botch missions. You're wrong. I'll _prove_ you wrong."

oOo

Artemis stayed the night at Barbara's house after dropping Wally and Dick off at Wayne Manor. The two would head back to the mountain the next morning. Barbara tossed a pillow and some blankets at Artemis and the two sprawled out on the floor. The latter yawned. It was almost 12:30. "Thanks again so much for taking me," she smiled. "Despite being attacked by a super villain and having Wally unexpectedly, not to mention irritatingly show up, it was a pretty fun night." Barbara's expression turned to a coy smile. "So... Wally... What were you two talking about when I came back with the waters?"  
Artemis had been wishing all night that her best friend hadn't witnessed any of what happened between her and the ginger. She wasn't quite sure herself. One minute she was being driven crazy by him, the next she was suddenly swept up in his emeralds, barely daring to breathe. What was the matter with her? It was just that for one moment he was so... different. He seemed to be expressing -Artemis could hardly believe she was thinking it- tenderness. Just in that second he was gentle, and thoughtful, and seemed to care. It was everything she wasn't use to. Never at home with her father, never between any of the few guy friends she had. It scared her. So she hastily replied to Barbara, "We weren't talking about anything. I was helping him wrap his arm." Her friend gave her a knowing smile. "I saw the way you were looking at each other. I totally called that you guys had good chemistry."

"I don't remember us looking at each other. You must be thinking of something else." She honestly didn't. Everything in that moment had been a blur. "Bull shit, Artemis. Do you have feelings for him or not?"

"What?! No!"

"But you looked like you really liked him!"

"Barbara, no! I've _never_ thought of him that way! He's a rude, narcissistic, girl- obsessed ass who would never even like me."

"Is that what's really bothering you?"

"What?"

"That he doesn't like you?"

Artemis shot her a look. "No. I just am so confused right now. What happened at the farm was just, so, not... him."

"What _did _happen at the farm?"

"I don't even know! I can barely remember! He asked me to bandage him... he told me he thinks I'm better than Jasmine at combat... he looked at me in this really weird, not- Wally way... and- and- it was just weird!"

"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?" Barbara prodded. "Why did he tell you the thing about Jasmine?"

"He told me because he had..." the recollection warmed her cheeks and made her stomach twist. "He was sorry that Roy was dating Jasmine, when he had noticed I liked him." Barbara gave a "Wally has a heart?" gasp and then smiled broadly. "That is so sweet, Artemis! He totally likes you!"

"No he doesn't! He spent an _hour _making fun of me in the car today. He so does _not_ like me!"

"I guess the more important question is: do you like him?"

Artemis put her head in her hands. "I don't know. I need more time to figure it out. After everything that happened with Roy, I'm not ready to throw myself at someone else just because of a few compliments."

Barbara smiled gently. "Take your time."

o0o

**I really want to get your feedback! What would you like to see happen with this? Who do you think Artemis should be with? What do you think of the new developments and where they are going to lead to? Please tell! :) I hope all of you enjoyed and can give me some incentive to write like the wind this next week! I fare thee well till then!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yaay! Chapter number 10! This is a mile stone in my life guys... And I got a whole bunch of reviews last time! I really appreciated them! So please keep it up! It always helps to hear your feedback :) So in reward... another chapter! And how about this: If you review this time, I'll give you a Wally! Come on, who DOESN'T WANT A WALLY? Don't ask me where they come from, because I don't even have one myself, but somehow I'll get one to you if you review!**

oOo

"Welcome back, everyone," Canary smiled at practice the next day. "I hope you all had a relaxing weekend." Barbara and Artemis looked at each other knowingly as their minds flashed back to the surprise attack at the farm. Artemis was still a little shaken from the onslaught, but her mind was more nervous about how Wally would act today. She didn't know why she was fretting about it; she never had before. But she had kind of... enjoyed his change of attitude and hoped that there was even a small possibility that what Barbara said was true. Did he actually have feelings for her? He _had _been really sensitive when bringing up Roy, not in his usual teasing manner.

"As you know," Artemis' attention was suddenly pulled towards their mentor. "We only have a few weeks left until we choose our team of heroes. Right now all of you have improved enough to make it on the team, but we need to keep up your workouts and progress if you want to stay in that position." She moved towards the center of the floor into the combat square, and everyone followed. "We're going to start off in pairs practicing combat, then we are going to try something new. The pairs will be Roy and Conner, Kaldur and Jasmine, Dick and Barbara, Zatanna and Megan, and Wally and Artemis."

Artemis' pulse quickened. This was it.

She anxiously waited for each pair to face off. No powers were to be used by any of teens. Conner and Roy were near evenly matched, but Roy managed to pin the clone first. Jasmine pinned Kaldur, and Dick beat Barbara, probably while taking it easy on her. Megan and Zatanna were evenly matched as well, but Megan had more strength, and eventually beat her.

Artemis gulped as she approached the square. Wally stood across from her. He turned to Black Canary. "This is way too unevenly matched, Canary. It'll only be a matter of seconds before I kick her butt." Artemis' stomach twisted. He just insulted her. Again. The way he always did.

She was stung by this, making it take a moment longer than usual for her to reply through gritted teeth, "If it's going to be so easy, you won't mind getting started." Wally shot her a glare and struck a fighting stance. Artemis threw herself towards him and drop kicked him. He fell backwards, but caught himself, and jumped up again only to be met with a punch in the face from his opponent. He stepped back and rubbed his jaw. "What's your problem today?" he asked incredulously. She responded by coming at him again. This time he blocked her attacks better, probably with the help of a little super speed, and tried to throw in a few of his own, which she dodged.

Artemis was on automatic pilot. She was using all she had practiced, but was fighting with her emotions as well. When Wally kicked her, she nearly fell forwards, but managed to stay on her feet. He came at her from behind, trying to pin her arms, but she flipped him over her shoulder on to the ground. He didn't move quickly enough, and the computer announced that Artemis had won.

Wally expected to be met with a mocking insult, and quickly quipped, "Next time I won't take it so easy on you." Artemis just brushed past him back to the group that was staring in some astonishment at the two.

"Impressive," Zatanna smiled and gave her a pat on the back. She grunted in reply, "He needed someone to put his foot in his mouth for him."

"Alright, that's everyone. Nice job," Canary commended. "Now we're going to work on something new. Everyone come over with me to the archery set." Artemis and Roy simultaneously glanced at each other and Roy smiled knowingly. "Now I want each one of you to try this out. Of course it's not for every one, but we are trying to test out each of your possible abilities in this camp. Roy, would you please start by shooting an arrow at the bullseye?"

"Will do," the red head replied and picked up a compound bow, carbon fiber arrow, and finger guard. Every one watched in awe as he expertly strung the arrow and plucked the bow, sending it straight into the bullseye. "See how he finds his anchor point?" Canary pointed out to the campers. "His anchor point is the place where he always draws his string back to. I want you all to test out different anchor points to find which one works best for you. Artemis, you try next."

The blonde smiled and picked up a simple deflex bow. Grabbing an arrow, she strung it into the bow and found her usual anchor point. Concentrating on the bullseye for a moment, she released the arrow and let it whiz across the room, finding its mark dead center.

"Artemis, awesome job! That was a perfect shot!" Canary applauded. "If Artemis can do it, it must be simple enough," Wally, still sore on losing the combat match, approached the archery set and picked up the same bow and an arrow. "Just remember," Artemis smirked. "The arrow is supposed to hit the _target_."

"Oh, it will."

Wally pulled the string back and was about to let go when Roy stopped him. "No no no, Wally. You need to pull back farther. Try closer to your chin." Wally gave an annoyed glanced but did as he was told. A second before he was going to release, Artemis called, "Actually, you should probably just use a blunt for this. We wouldn't want to hit any people with a sharp arrowhead." She handed him one as he replied heatedly, "I _won't _be hitting any one!" He prepared again.

"You know," Roy interrupted once more. You should probably use this bow instead; it has more flex in it. Easier for beginners."

"Will you guys stop interrupting me and just let me shoot the target!" The ginger exploded. The two smiled but remained quiet.

Wally, with a determined look on his face, pulled the arrow back to his chin, then let go. The arrow fell on the ground. A very embarrassed Wally picked it up and silently handed the bow off to Zatanna, who was next in line. The others struggled as well, even Jasmine, but eventually each managed to hit some place on the target.

After the practice was over, Artemis received several complements from the other teens on her talent in archery. "I've actually been practicing for a little while," she explained when Zatanna commended her for her graceful use of the bow. "That explains a lot," her friend smiled. "Is everything else going okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play clueless, Artemis. I can feel this vibe off you. You're upset about something."

"That's just freaky."

"Get used to it. Now tell me what's wrong."

Artemis sighed. She didn't want to tell any one else about the farm. It just sounded stupid now. "Maybe I'll tell you later, I just don't really want to talk about it now." Zatanna understood, but had the feeling she already knew what it was about. As for Artemis, she was still hurt, but she decided she would get over it.

o0o

The next couple weeks passed quickly. Artemis worked harder every week and was gaining strength and speed quickly. The obstacle course was becoming easier for her and the other campers, including Jasmine, who had the fastest completion time of all the kids.

After a tough workout on a Friday morning, Canary gathered the teens together. "You all have been giving the best effort you can in practice; I can tell. I want you all to take the night off and go hang out some where together. You only have a week left till school starts and we want you to be able to enjoy some of it." Artemis cringed. She wasn't ready for the school year to start. The summer had gone by quickly, and though she felt it was one of the best summers she had ever experienced, she couldn't help but wonder if it had all been for nothing. _What if I don't even make it on the team?_ She wondered.

"We hanging out today?" Dick asked Barbara and Artemis as they walked towards the zeta tubes. "Sure, I guess," Artemis replied. "What do you want to do?"

"You could come over to my house and play video games!" Dick suggested enthusiastically. Babs and Artemis exchanged glances and shrugged. "What time?"

"How about right after dinner?"

The three agreed on it, then zetaed to Gotham. As they stepped out of the abandoned phone booth, they were immediately met with terrified screams coming from across the street. People were running every where, and a woman who passed the trio exclaimed, "Some one call the fire department!"

The apartment building across the street was completely aflame, smoke seeping out onto the street. Frantic cries called for help from within, and people watched from the sidewalk, some in horror for the people inside, some in tears for their burning home. "The firemen are on their way!" A man yelled to the people stuck inside the building.

Artemis paled. "Dick, the fire department will never get here on time, not in four o' clock traffic, at least."

Dick understood. "You think we should-"

"Let's go." Barbara said, and the three ran towards the fiery building.

They stared up at the five story apartment complex and knew they needed a plan. "Artemis!" Dick yelled over the commotion. "You run up the fire escape on the left side and cover levels three and five! Try to get as many people as you can through the windows; I'll run up the right side and cover two and four! Barbara, you go into the businesses next door and get as many fire extinguishers as you can just in case Artemis and I need them!" The red head nodded and ran off quickly.

Artemis and Dick looked at each other, then split up to cover each side. Artemis climbed as quickly as she could. "Artemis!" Barbara called when she had just reached the second floor. She tried to reach a fire extinguisher to her, tossing it up as lightly as she could. She also threw her a wet cloth to put over her face. Artemis caught it, ran up to the fifth floor, and sprayed the flames coming out of the window. She stepped inside and slid to the floor to get away from the fumes. She heard desperate cries coming from behind a door and turned the knob using the cloth.

She sprayed the flames in the room and reached out to a small child who was crying by the window. "Come on, everything's going to be alright, but you need to follow me." She took the tearful child in her arms and gave him the cloth. "Cover your mouth with this, okay? You are going to be just fine, you are going to be alright." From somewhere down the street she heard sirens coming towards them.

She sprayed more flames and finally reached the window. They stepped onto the fire escape. She set the boy down. "Can you climb down these stairs and onto the street?" she asked, and he nodded.

Artemis proceeded down the stairs to the third floor. Suddenly Dick called her name from below. "Every one is out of the building! You can come down now!" She started to walk down, when she heard a sound that struck terror to her heart. The building was starting to cave in. "Artemis! Get down!" Barbara screamed. Then she heard another sound. "Help! Someone help me! I can't get out!"

_Oh fuck. _

_I've got to do this._

She climbed through the third floor window, ignoring the cries of the viewers below. She could hear the pleas for help coming from an apartment close to the window. A boy, about sixteen years old with blond hair was in the middle of the room, panic- stricken. Fire surrounded him and was growing closer. Artemis sprayed the flames and yelled "Follow me! We're getting out of here!" She handed him the cloth and he coughed into it.

They ran towards the window and climbed out. "There they are!" Dick yelled to some fire men and they quickly laid out a safety net below the stairs. "The building's going to collapse!" A fireman told the two. "You're going to have to jump!"

Artemis' companion gripped the railing. "I can't!" he yelled to her. "I'm scared!"

She could feel the stairs start to sway, and using sheer adrenaline, she picked the boy up and threw him over the side. He landed on the safety net and the fire fighters quickly pulled him off. "Artemis, jump!" Barbara yelled.

Artemis leapt from the fire escape as the building started to crumble, and landed safely on the net, only to be rushed away to the other side of the street.

The whole building had been demolished by the fire, and the firefighters were putting out the last of the flames. "Artemis!" Barbara ran towards her and wrapped her in a huge hug. Then she hit her.

"Why do you have to be so brave?" she asked, only half-joking. Dick was suddenly embracing Artemis as well. "You could have been killed."

"Another might have died when I could have done something."

"You did the right thing."

"Well, what do you say we go home, wind down a bit and then meet up later?" Barbara suggested. "Good idea," Dick agreed and in a moment Alfred, Dick's butler, was there to pick him up. Barbara was gone with her dad a minute later, and Artemis started walking to her apartment. However, she was suddenly stopped.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life from the fire." It was the blonde boy from the apartment. He had changed into different clothes.

"Any time," Artemis smiled. "Just make sure not to walk straight into a fire in the future."

"I was actually looking for my uncle, because he lived there," he explained. "but when I came onto his floor the fire trapped me."

"Well, I'm glad you're safe now. My name is Artemis, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Hunter, Hunter Zolomon. I'd like to show my appreciation some how. Would you mind if I took you to a late lunch?" The boy asked considerately.

Artemis was impressed. No guy had ever asked her to lunch, especially ones that she had just met. He seemed sweet and friendly enough, so she agreed. They walked to the sub shop down the street, engaging in lively conversation. She couldn't help thinking to herself, although Wally was far from her mind now, W_ho needs him, anyway?_

**Remember! Review and YOU GET A WALLY! I know you want one!**_  
_


	11. Chapter 11

**YOU get a Wally! And YOU get a Wally! EVERYBODY GETS A WALLY! Did you get him? GOOD! Thanks a lot guys :) I hope you continue to enjoy!**

After ordering a large sandwich, Artemis sat down with Hunter in a booth. "So, where are you from?" she asked. "I'm actually from Keystone City, but my I come to visit my uncle here every once in a while. School doesn't start for two more weeks in Keystone, so I have a little vacation time left." Artemis laughed at this. "Getting trapped in a fire doesn't sound like the ideal start to a vacation."

"It's not," he replied smiling. "But I've just about had worse."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I nearly got mugged last summer when I was coming home from a movie. Luckily Batman was able to stop the criminal."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Artemis replied. It was weird to hear people talk about Batman now.

"Yeah," Hunter continued. "I was lucky he was nearby. He's got to be a busy man, handling Gotham's criminals all by himself."

"Mhm..." Artemis replied, mostly concentrating on her sandwich.

"But I guess now that he has Robin to help him he'll be better off."

"Yeah-" Artemis suddenly straightened up. "Wait, what?"

"You know, just a week or two ago Batman got this kid sidekick he calls Robin." Hunter informed her casually. "He takes him on every mission. My uncle told me about it on the phone. You... hadn't heard?"

"No," Artemis replied. "Although, I haven't been in town very often for the past month... Hold on just one sec." She took out her phone and immediately texted Dick and Babs.

_"Holy fuck you guys! Did you know Batman has a sidekick now?!"_

She slipped her phone back in her pocket. "It's strange to have Batman no longer solo," Hunter maintained the subject. "It makes me wonder if other heroes will be coming to Gotham soon."

Artemis tried not to look disconcerted. "Yeah, that'd be cool."

Hunter switched topics, eyeing her empty sandwich plate. "You eat tons for a girl."

"Oh, yeah. I work out. A lot."

"Really? That's cool! What sports do you play?"

"Uh... Soccer."

"Sweet! What team?"

"The Gotham... City... League... yeah."

"I never was good at soccer myself," he smirked. "I just can't get to the ball fast enough. I've always been better at chess, croquet, that kind of stuff."

"Oh, that's cool too," Artemis lied. "Do you have a big family?"

"No, actually. I live with my mom, and my dad passed away a few years ago. I don't remember him much. I don't have any siblings." Artemis suddenly felt a connection to her companion. She went through a lot of the same situations. She knew how tough it was for a girl to go through life without a dad, but she couldn't imagine how hard it would be for a teenage boy not to have a father in his life. Through their conversation, she watched him closely to see if how it affected him. She was impressed with his ability to keep the problems in his life from slipping into his normal interactions. It was something she had trouble with all the time. The outing was pleasant and Artemis enjoyed laughing and listening to Hunter's stories and good sense of humor. She was disappointed when it was time to go.

"This was really fun. Thanks so much for inviting me," she smiled as they were leaving the restaurant. "No problem, it was really fun. We should hang out again some time." Hunter grinned and made sure to exchange numbers so that they could do so. After waving good bye, Artemis checked her phone to see two messages, one from Dick, one from Barbara.

Babs' read: _Are you serious? So not fair! He should have asked me to be his sidekick!_

Of course.

Dick's read: _Duh. Who doesn't know that? He's already on America's list of hottest men._

This confused Artemis, because she remembered that Hunter had mentioned him being a kid.

She made sure to spend some time with her mom before heading over to Wayne Manor to play all of Dick's video games that probably hadn't been released to normal people yet. And even though she lost everyone of them, making up the excuse that Dick was hacking into the system like he did with Wally, she enjoyed the evening thoroughly.

oOo

The next morning all the campers came to workout bright and early. Today was obstacle course day. It was naturally Jasmine's favorite day of the week, making it Artemis' least favorite day. She loathed all the attention Jasmine received for beating everyone's times. She tried to ignore it so she could focus on her own turn. This day was no different.

They started off with a warm up of choice, Artemis making sure to get her blood moving to warm up each muscle. She waited patiently for each teen to try out the course, rehearsing each section in her mind. The control section came first, followed by the strength stage, finishing with the speed section.

"Hey Artemis," a voice called.

_Please no. I am not in the mood._

"Yes?" she turned to Wally icily.

"Um, I just heard about how you saved some people in a fire. That's really cool; good job."

_Wait, what?_

"Um, thanks, I guess."

"From what Dick said, it sounded like you were really brave. That's the sign of a real hero."

_Um, okay?_

"Thank you, that's nice to hear." she smiled a little. Wally walked away. _Stop it! You are so over all that! _

Still.

_That was just weird. _

_..._

_And why is my heart beating a million times a second? Stop it Artemis! Get back to reality!_

She shook herself out of this train of thought and focused back on Jasmine's perfection on the course.

Although she practically hated Jasmine, she knew that her lithe and skill was to be learned from, and watched her closely as she ran through the obstacle course to examine her technique. Jasmine was definitely on her game today. "She's going to break the record!" Megan exclaimed with shock. "Let's go Jasmine!" Roy cheered, hardly noticing the glare Artemis was sending him.

Jasmine skipped over the rolling logs and struggled for the slightest moment while passing through the strength section, made up of four doors needing different strength techniques to get them open. She hardly hesitated when reaching the speed stage.

"Come on, Jasmine! You got it! Almost there!" Canary cheered her on. Every one waited with bated breath to see if she would break the record. "Come on girl..." Canary nervously mumbled. Artemis could hardly bear to watch the clock as she crossed the finish line breathlessly.

"Five minutes and twenty- six seconds!" Roy announced. "Aw! So close, Jasmine!" Canary encouraged. "You were only four seconds off! Getting closer every week though!"

"Doesn't worry me," Jasmine smiled as she approached Roy. "Just give me another week and that record will be mine." Roy chuckled and kissed her lightly on the lips. Artemis' temper flared. She had gotten over Roy, but she was as pissed off as ever by Jasmine.

Her turn was next. She approached the start line confidently and took a few deep breaths. "Are you ready, Artemis?" Canary asked.

"Yes."

"Take your mark, _go!"_

Artemis was off to a quick start, heading straight to the rock climbing wall and expertly scrambling up it. She didn't look down as she passed on to the uneven bars. This was no problem any more.

_Swing, swing, pike._

First high bar down, then back to a low one.

_Swing, swing, pike._

She was up on the second high bar, then back to the ground with a perfect landing. She ran as fast as she could towards the six rolling logs, skipping over them with as much speed and balance as she could. She was now on the strength level. She was breathing hard already, but still had plenty left.

_Four doors. Four minutes. Go._

She quickly pushed the first door up, skidding to the next one, picking up a medicine ball and hurling it at the door, then repeating the maneuver two more times till the door finally burst open. Swiftly approaching the next one, a squishy door that could only be opened using karate, she kicked and punched it with all her might, breaking it open as well. The last one was a low wall, acting as a hurtle to jump over. Gathering speed, she ran towards it and flung herself over, managing to still land on both feet.

She didn't waste any time in running towards the third and final stage. A long walk way with squishy weights swinging back and forth, along with pieces of floor dropping out from under the trainee's feet every few places. Her strength was nearly gone, and beads of perspiration were trickling down her forehead. _Just one last stage. _Artemis plunged in determinedly.

She was nearly knocked over by one of the weights, but managed to dodge it just in time. She dove to the ground just as a piece of floor came out from under her feet, and quickly stood up, sprinting towards the finish line with what energy she had left.

She crossed it, immediately slowing her run to a jog, then plopping breathlessly on to the ground. Everyone was silent around her.

"What was-" she gulped the air hungrily. "What- was- my time?"

Canary came over with a look expressing excitement and shock. "Artemis, you went a 4:59."

_A four fifty-_

_A four-_

_The record._

_I broke it._

Artemis looked at Canary with complete amazement in her eyes. "Are- are you sure?"

"See for yourself," Roy smiled, helping her up. Sure enough, the clock read 4:59.68, a new course record.

"I- I can't believe it."

Suddenly everyone was surrounding her and shaking her hand and slapping her on the back and hugging her and complementing her overwhelming her. She was still in shock.

"Shit Artemis! You kicked ass on that!"

"How did you get so good at the bars?"

"Your reflexes were amazing!"

"Are you on steroids or something?"

Artemis, in a daze and covered in sweat, mumbled absent mindedly, "Thanks guys," and stumbled off towards the showers.

oOo

Artemis fidgeted nervously in her seat at Mount Justice. Today was the day. Today was the day she would either become a hero- or go home.

Her pocket suddenly vibrated, and she pulled out her phone to see a message from Hunter.

_You want to hang out tonight?_

She quickly responded:

_Maybe. I'll have to see. _

The answer came a minute later:

_Did I scare you off yesterday?_

She smiled to herself and replied:

_No. You're just a terrible bowler. Let's never go bowling again. _

Suddenly Dick approached and sat down next to her. "Hey, I heard you broke the record yesterday. Sorry I couldn't be there."

"Yeah, but if you had been, you'd have kicked my ass. I still think the clock might have gotten messed up."

"Stop it. You know you've worked harder than anyone else here. It doesn't happen magically."

"Dick... what if I don't get picked for the team?"

"Of course you will. And even if you didn't, I saw your willingness to sacrifice your life for someone else. You'll always be a hero in my eyes."

"Thanks," Artemis smiled.

The doors from the conference room in the mountain suddenly burst open, revealing Black Canary, Batman, Red Tornado and Captain Marvel.

"Alright kids, gather around. We've made a decision we can all agree on." Canary smiled.

When everyone stood huddled in a group, Batman greeted in his usual monotone, "Welcome to the Team."

Everyone looked at each other in slight confinement, and Canary added, "We've decided that _each one _of you make good assets to this team. So you're all on board, if you're up to it."

The new "team" looked at each other again with huge smiles, then started to congratulate one another.

"Artemis, I can't believe it! I made it!" Barbara, with a huge grin on her face, squeezed her friend in a hug.

"Everyone over at my house for a victory celebration!" Dick yelled over the commotion, and Artemis noticed Batman's gaze shift uneasily towards the boy. He really needed to loosen up.

You could feel the excitement vibrating off the group of young people as they crowded around the zeta tubes. Artemis couldn't stop smiling, seeing every one so happy, and Barbara was practically bouncing off the walls. Jasmine on the other hand, satisfied with the day, quickly sent a text message on her phone:

_It's time_

oOo

**I ran out of Wallys from last time, but if I can get more reviews than the last chapter did, I'll put up the next chapter faster, because it's already finished (and its a good one too)! So what are you waiting for? REVIEW!**_  
_


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow! Three chapters in one week! Lucky ducks :) I love you guys! You are all awesome! Now, I do have _one_** **Wally, thanks to 3V3RY1LUVSM3, who gave him to me :) But since It's my only one I'm NOT giving him away! So this time, review and tell me your favorite chapter so far, and a random fact about yourself. Enjoy!**

Artemis yawned sleepily. She had only been sitting on one of the many overstuffed couches in Wayne Manor for 20 minutes, and she was already tired. It was only 7:00 too.

Tomorrow was her first day back at Gotham Academy. Another year of snotty girls who think they're better than everyone else.

This year was going to be different though. She already knew it. The change that Camp Justice had put in her gave her more confidence than she had ever had before. She was ready to hold her head high no matter what circumstance she got herself into.

That is, if she was able to stay awake through a whole day of school.

_Vmmmm_

Hunter was texting her again. She was loving it too.

Not in a weird way, she just really felt connected to him. She had never become so close with someone in so little time.

_Okay, so no hang out tonight, what about tomorrow?_

She quickly returned:

_Promise no bowling?_

The reply came immediately:_  
_

_Promise. I'll see you at the arcade at four. _

Oh yay.

_Pft. Goodie. See you then._

She was already exhausted, and things were starting to wind down now that the kids were just playing video games. She still didn't see the point.

"Well, guys, it's been fun," she announced. "I think I'm going to go home and get a good night's sleep before tomorrow."

"That's probably a good idea," Barbara agreed, standing up.

"Aw, it'll be no fun with out the girls!" Dick complained. The kids who would be living at the mountain full time had left already.

"I didn't think you knew we were still here," Artemis shot him a look.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow anyway."

"I should probably go too. Central City is in a different time zone," Wally stood up as well. "No it isn't," Dick whispered to him. Wally whispered something back to him and the two began having a secret conference. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm leaving, so bye."

She walked down the long staircase to the main foyer, then out the large doors and down through the front lawn and down the sidewalk through the gate down the road towards the city. She would probably have to catch a bus to get to her house. Her thoughts started trailing back towards the school year. Another whole year of uniforms. Yuck.

Suddenly she stopped short on the winding path towards the bottom of the hill. She thought she had heard a rustle in the bushes. A breeze blew through the trees, making her shiver a little. She continued walking.

_Oh, stop it, Artemis. You're just scaring yourself. _

Still, she couldn't shake the nervous feeling off. She tried to thing of something to sing to herself, but nothing would come to mind. Finally,

"I love you, you love me," she started to sing quietly. "We're a happy..." she jumped and spun around just in time to see a deer run across the path. "...With a great big hug and a-"

She didn't finish as suddenly a dark figure sprung out of a tree towards her. The shadow didn't give Artemis a chance to think, lunging at her with expert skill and knocking her to the ground. The shadow pounced, but Artemis rolled out of the way. She was up on her feet in a flash.

The agility of the shadow made it hard for Artemis to keep up, especially because she had no idea what was going on. "Who are you?" she screamed at her opponent between punches. She could tell it was a woman who wore a mask concealing all of her face. The mask had a large grin crafted onto it. Suddenly she sent a furious punch to Artemis' face, sending her flying. "Shit..." she sat up groggily. Then she came to her senses. "Help! Some one help!" A hand was clamped over her mouth immediately and she had to struggle to get out of her attacker's grasp.

She kicked furiously, getting free, then started to run. Her opponent sent an object flying the wrapped around her legs and tripped her. Artemis' face slammed against the ground as she met the dirt. It was impossible to move her legs and she struggled to get up to a sitting position. She expected her attacker to strike at any moment, and anticipated the blow. It didn't come.

She looked up in confusion when hearing a slight commotion in front of her. To her surprise and happiness, she saw the shadow was fighting furiously with Wally.

He was doing well, and though his opponent was using a sai, he still had the greater advantage with his super speed. A strange feeling flashed across her mind. She almost... recognized the figures fighting style. It seemed strangely familiar. Suddenly, the shadow disappeared as quickly as it had come. Artemis breathed a sigh of relief.

Wally was at her side in a moment, untying the rope that had caught her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine, but my face hurts."

"Your lip is cut, and you have a few scratches. I'll take you back to the cave and we can put some ice on it."

"No Wally, really, I have ice at home-" she couldn't protest, however, when he picked her up and zoomed off to the nearest zeta tube.

In a moment she was at the cave, and Wally was getting ice from the freezer. "Alright," he said. "Tell me everything that happened."

She took a deep breath. "I was walking back home, and all of the sudden, this figure burst out of the trees and started to fight me."

"Did she seem like she was trying to kill you?"

"No..." Artemis thought for a moment."She entangled my feet so I couldn't run, and then you came."

"It's lucky I did. You might have been kidnapped."

"But why?"

Wally didn't answer. Instead he walked to the computer and started to file a report. "You saw her mask, right? With the big smile?"

"Yeah, it was creepy."

"I'm going to take you home." he started plugging coordinates into the zeta computer.

"Really, you don't have to-"

"Yes I do."

Artemis smiled a little. She wished she could stop. Wally was confusing her. She didn't know what to make of him.

They approached the zeta beam and stepped in. Artemis opened her eyes and looked upon a beautifully lit city below her. They were standing on the roof of a tall building. This wasn't Gotham.

"Where... are we?"

"Welcome to Paris," Wally smiled and bowed.

"I thought you were taking me home."

"I will, but first, would you like anything for dessert? Anything at all?"

"You're being weird. I want to go home."

"Come on, Artemis. Just play along."

"Okay, fine. I would like a slice of turtle cheesecake, monsieur."

Wally glanced at her skeptically and zoomed off. In a moment he was back with a plate of turtle cheesecake and bag of popcorn. He sat down on the edge of the building and motioned to the spot next to him. She cautiously sat down on the ledge.

"What time is it here, anyway?"

"3:00 a.m. That's why it's a little quieter than usual."

"Do you come out here often?"

"Eh. When I have extra time for a nice view and a baguette."

They sat there in awkward silence, gazing at the Eiffel Tower. Artemis was just about to ask if they could leave when Wally cleared his throat.

"I just-" he paused. "I just wanted to apologize, you know, for being a jerk all the time."

Artemis was shocked but let a little smile graze her lips. He really wasn't _that_ bad…

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

"It's just that every time I get around you, I don't know-"

"You want to rip my head off? Cause that's what it seems like."

Wally laughed, clearly and openly, like she had never heard him laugh before. "No, not exactly. It's more like… I don't know how to... handle some one like you."

"Someone who doesn't immediately fall into a trance under your charms?" Artemis grinned.

"Pretty much."

Artemis began, "Well… actually," then stopped herself. _Shit Artemis, what are you doing?_

She changed her course. "I actually am pretty cold to you most of the time. Sorry about that."

Wally smiled. She continued. "I guess I'm just like that when meeting new people, I'm more cautious. My father and sister left me. I've spent so much of my life alone. That's why it's hard to… I don't know… open up to people."

Wally put his arm around her. "Artemis, let me tell you something. We're on a team now, together. You're not alone. You'll always have the whole team. And you'll always have me."

Artemis squeezed her eyes shut. _Always?_ She had seen that promise broken before. She didn't think she was ready to trust again. She opened her eyes and looked into his.

So honest.

So trusting.

_I can._

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Wally."

"You know, I never finished that dare."

"Yeah you did, remember? You carried me the rest of the way to the lounge."

"No, not that," he swallowed. "Artemis, will you go out with me?"

oOo

**Heee heeee heee I love it heee heeee heee adfdjfhdfhjao. So any way, when you review, tell me your FAVORITE CHAPTER and a RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF! And... GO!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AHG! Who else is pissed about Young Justice? If they cancel my favorite show... It's gonna be bad. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews AND the random facts! They were... Interesting lol. This time, hmm... Tell me what you ate for lunch!**

Artemis was smiling. Just smiling. She couldn't help herself. And the strangest part was that she was smiling just because she came home and saw her favorite stuffed bear laying on the bed, just like it did every day. It just made her happy. Everything made her happy. She had never been so happy in her life. The thing that was even stranger than the teddy bear, however, was the source of where all this happiness came from.

Wally West.

She never thought she would say those words with out gagging. But here she was, and she loved it so much. Her heart would start speed beating when ever she thought back to when he asked.

When asked her to be his.

She was his.

She squealed again and threw her face into her pillow. There was no way she was falling asleep tonight. She notified Wally of this in a text message, adding:

_You're always the problem._

Her unfailing smile grew bigger and she let out a little laugh when the reply came.

_I'm a good problem to have_

A moment later there was a follow up message:

_Sorry, I said I wouldn't be a jerk any more_

Oh, she was so taking advantage of this

_It's fine. As long as you take me out tomorrow._

_Why not now?_

_Because it's one in the morning, and we just ate dinner. For the third time tonight._

_Oh yeah, I forgot you're a normal person._

_That's the first time you've ever admitted to that._

_I'll rephrase: You have normal eating habits, most of the time._

_WALLY. I NEED TO GO TO BED. _

_THEN STOP TEXTING ME._

She sighed and put the phone down.

Two minutes later she picked it up again.

_I can't. _

_Haha, you actually tried._

_I'm going to go to school tomorrow looking terrible._

_Is there anything I can do, other than assure you that you will look beautiful?_

_You could come here until I fall asleep._

"Artemis?" Wally's voice came from the window. A moment later her phone lit up with a message from him reading, _"Okay."_

She laughed at him as she opened the window. "You ran faster than your text message got here."

"Actually, I've been sitting out on your fire escape for the past hour. I couldn't sleep either."

"Okay, you can come in, but you can't let my mom hear you or we're both dead."

Wally nodded and Artemis rolled back under the covers. He sat on the edge of her bed. She loved having him beside her.

"Artemis?"

She rolled over and smiled sleepily, gazing at his sweet face. "Yeah?"

"Do you have any food? I'm kind of hungry."

She threw a pillow at him. "You can find some granola bars in the left cupboard next to the refrigerator. But _be quiet._" He nodded and carefully opened the door. Artemis waited for him to come back, but when a whole minute went by and he hadn't returned, she crept into the hall and whispered hoarsely, "Wally?"

Suddenly a swoosh of wind carried her back into her room, the door closed behind her, screams muffled by a hand on her mouth. She relaxed, then grew angry when she saw Wally, who was laughing quietly. "Don't creep me out like that again!" she shoved him. He grabbed her hands to keep his balance, and Artemis almost shivered with delight at the feeling. He was so close to her, had such a warm, dorky, but warm smile on his face. She crept closer and nuzzled her nose into his shirt. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything you've done for me tonight."

He just smiled and bent his head closer to hers. Her heart started to beat faster as she closed her eyes, feeling his nose brush against her cheek. Something in her suddenly wanted to pull away, and she impulsively took a step back.

_Why?! Why did she did she do that?!_

Wally didn't seem to care, walking her over to her bed and tucking her under the covers.

"Can you go to sleep now?"

"I think so, but could you stay a few minutes longer? At least, till I fall asleep?"

"Anything for you, beautiful."

As she drifted off, she wondered why she had stopped. She had never been kissed before, and she wanted Wally to be her first, so why did she pull away? _Next chance I get, I'm taking it._

oOo

Waking up for school was rough, but when she remembered the previous night, Artemis did this weird little dance thing and couldn't stop smiling again.

As she walked to school, approaching the gates that led to the courtyard of Gotham Academy, she began to glance nervously at some of the other girls driving up in their cars. _Don't be bothered by them. They don't matter. _

In a blur, Wally was suddenly by her side, wrapping her in a hug. "Just wanted to stop by and wish you well before heading off to school at Central."

Artemis smirked, "You better hurry, Central City is in a different time zone."

"You know it, babe. Have a good day." He was about to leave when she stopped him. "Wally?" he looked at her expectantly.

_Do it now! No, wait. That would be weird right now._

"Um... never mind."

He smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek ."See you at practice!" he called as he ran off.

Artemis' phone buzzed. She checked to see that it was Hunter.

_We're still hanging out at the arcade today?_

She rolled her eyes, but smiled and replied,

_Four o' clock. See you then. _

oOo

For most people, going back to school means seeing all your friends from last year and reacquainting yourself with them, maybe even meeting some new people as well. For Artemis it meant hanging out with the two people she sees every day, all day long, all year: Dick and Babs. They always entertained her though, and they were good friends, so she left school that afternoon in good spirits. She walked towards the arcade to meet Hunter, and stay for about an hour before going to Mount Justice for practice.

She walked down the street, ignoring the skeptical glances of by passers in their Cadillacs. She was thinking about, who else? Wally, when, in a blur, she was swept off her feet.

She smiled to herself as she clung to Wally and thought, _Alright, Artemis, here we go._

As she felt Wally slowing down, she closed her eyes craned her neck. She met his lips and felt her companion abruptly stop, and smile through the kiss. He let Artemis down and she deepened the kiss for a slight moment before pulling away.

She wasn't in Central City. In fact, she didn't know where she was.

And the person she had just kissed wasn't Wally.

oOo

**Sorry, kind of a short chapter. I hope you all enjoyed! Remember, review and tell me what you ate for LUNCH! Love you all!**


	14. Chapter 14

Wally, alone in the mountain, munched his granola bar after school was over. No one else had had a chance to get to a zeta beam yet. He casually walked over to the computer system in the cave and began pulling up a few things. Their mentors had been putting together costumes for the team, with the help of each hero, in preparation for their first mission. He pulled up the designs and the different options for a superhero name.

"Hmm... Flash Boy... Flash Junior... Speedy? Nah." He scrolled through a few other names on the list and gave a silent approval of a yellow and red costume that would still show off his red hair. He then thumbed through some other files.

"Dick is always messing with this thing," he said out loud to himself. "I wonder what he's been doing..." He pulled up a folder that held a file on each of the campers. "Hm... I wonder what's in here about me."

He clicked on a file and his profile came up. A picture of him along with his address, parents, and other information came up. He gave a cocky grin as he read the super powers.

He scrolled through the files until he came to Artemis'. "What has Dick been recording about my girlfriend?" he smiled at the word and clicked on the file. As it came onto the screen, he frowned and squinted at it. Then, astonished, he took a few steps back.

_No._

oOo

Artemis faced her attacker, staggered.

_The boy from the farm._

_The speedster._

He looked distracted from what had just happened between the two. Artemis took this to her advantage and tackled him. They rolled on the ground for a moment and she clawed at his face, trying to get his mask off. It ripped part way in the back, but he suddenly flung her off him and she hit the wall next to her.

He pinned her arms behind her back and tried to muffle her screams. Artemis' mind raced. _Time to improvise. _

She kicked her legs and pushed backwards off the wall, breaking his hold on her. She landed a blow as hard as she could to his carotid artery. He looked dazed, though he didn't lose consciousness. She used this delay to quickly pulled his mask off.

_NO. No no no no! _

"Hunter?!" She almost screamed. "_Why?!" _

_"_Somethings even you wouldn't understand, Artemis!" he yelled. "I have orders and I have to got through with them!"

"Orders? Orders from who? Why are you doing this?" she questioned, on the verge of tears.

"From Sports Master! I can't go against them, you know that!"

"No, I don't! I don't even know who Sports Master is, Hunter! I don't want to know! I want to know why you would do this to me!"

"You- you don't know who he is?" Hunter stuttered. He looked lost and confused. When she shook her head, he tried to collect himself, shaking his head slowly. "You wouldn't understand, Artemis. You wouldn't understand." He backed away and ran off.

This couldn't be happening.

_Hunter._

_No._

There weren't many times when Artemis had wanted to cry, but now was one of them. She tried her best to hold it in and steady herself, walking out of the alley she was in and on to the street. She looked around blankly, trying to figure out where she was. She finally recognized the street name.

"Right on the edge of Gotham," she murmured. It was going to be a long walk to the nearest zeta beam. She had already decided she was going to go to Mount Justice right away. Batman and the rest of the team would want to know what happened, and she really wanted to talk to Wally.

She thought through, as best she could, the events of the afternoon. She gathered that Hunter had been trying to kidnap her, taking her to who knows where, but stopped when she- _oh fuck, I forgot about that- _kissed him. There were a ton of questions weighing on her mind, but the biggest one: _Who is Sports Master?_

oOo

"What is the matter with you?! Are you _stupid_? Are you that _dense__?" _

_"_No- No, I-"

"Then _how _did you let her _get away?!"_

"She pulled my mask off! She knows who I am! I couldn't stay any longer! I had to get out!"

Zoom was back at Sports Master's headquarters. His mentor threw his hands up in disgust.

"I knew you would botch it if you tried. This is why I _didn't _put you on the undercover mission! But you just _had _to interfere anyway!"

"I'm sorry!" Zoom complained. "Cheshire didn't get her the first time either!"

"Yes," he agreed. "But that won't happen again once the speedster is out of the way."

"Let me go finish him."

"No! You've proved yourself useless enough already. You won't be leaving the base until further instructions come. Understand?"

Zoom grumbled in reply and turned his back on his master.

"Don't worry," Sports Master called after him. "My daughter will be joining us soon enough."

oOo

Artemis practically ran to the zeta tube. She was hot and tired and still in her school uniform but she had to get there. She ran past the arcade that she was supposed to have met Hunter at that exact time. She tried to hold back her tears. What was going on? She hadn't even seen it coming. He had seemed so sincere, so trustworthy. She ran faster and finally approached the old telephone booth. She couldn't wait to see Wally. She needed a shoulder to cry on, something she had never had before.

Half- blinded by the light of the beam as she was transported to the mountain, Artemis stumbled out of the tube and looked around. Wally was standing by the computer system with his back towards her.

"Wally!" she breathed in relief and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. She tilted her head upwards and looked into his eyes.

She lost her grasp on him.

She took a step backwards.

_Why does he look so angry?_

_Why does he look so angry at ME? _

"Wally, say something! What's the matter?"

He was silent for a moment, then in a hoarse voice, "I read your files."

"What files? Wally, what are you talking about?"

"Your profile. As in your background. The information _Dick_ took down from you."

"So? Tell me what's wrong!"

"Damnit, Artemis! You know what's wrong!" Wally suddenly yelled. "How can you stand there and pretend you don't know?! Even Dick knew about it before me!"

"Wally, what the hell are you-"

"So you're going to act like it's okay you didn't tell me _Sports Master _is your _father?!" _

_What. _Artemis stood stock still. She didn't know what to say. The tears that had collected in her eyes were starting to spill over. Sputtering on her words for a moment, she finally managed to say quietly, "Wally, I- I didn't know- who is Sports Master?"

"Oh like you don't know! How stupid do you think I am?!"

"God Wally I didn't know!" she was sobbing uncontrollably now, blindly trying to focus on his face. She couldn't bear to see his expression. It was one of anger and frustration. His eyes were starting to fill with tears as well.

"How could you- could you treat us- me- so- so-" he couldn't finish and retreated heatedly to his room.

Artemis was left alone in the large room. She was crying loudly and irrepressibly. She needed to get home.

She stumbled towards the zeta tube and stepped in. As she felt herself being transported away, she took one last glimpse at the cave. In a corner, lurking by the zeta computer, she saw Jasmine. In a flash she was gone, and so was the cave.

_Who the hell does he think he is? Accusing me of being a liar, accusing me of keeping information from him, accusing me of treating our relationship carelessly! He said he would always be there- always! I trusted you, Wally!_

Artemis brushed the tears away from her eyes as she stepped out from the zeta tube. Confusion swept over her as she realized she was not in Gotham, but on a beach next to the ocean. Her mind flashed back to Jasmine messing with the zeta computer just as she was departing. "Oh, no," she whispered and quickly turned and started sprinting back to the tube.

"Not so fast, Artemis."

A figure jumped in front of her and a chill went down Artemis' spine as she recognized the woman who had attacked her the other night. "Get out of my way!" Artemis ran and rolled past her opponent to dodge her. She had to make it to the zeta beam.

She was almost there. Just steps away. She could hear her attacker pull a trigger. Something was suddenly implanted in her back. She stumbled, but it didn't hurt. However, she could feel herself slowing down. Her vision started to blur. _No. You can make it. Keep going. _

The last thing she remembered was roughly hitting the sand, then blacking out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome to chapter 15! Would you like a BREADSTICK? I've actually been writing chapters like the wind bullseye, which means I have the next two chapters written already! SO... the more reviews you give me, the sooner I put up the next chapter! And you get a nice buttery garlicy salty terribly bad for you BREADSTICK! I hope this story is holding your interest and meeting your expectations!**

Zatanna arrived at the mountain an hour before practice. She immediately went to find Artemis.

"Have you guys seen Artemis?" she asked the boys in the living room. Conner, Dick, and Roy all promptly replied, "No."  
She moved on to the kitchen and lounge, but Megan and Barbara hadn't seen her either. "Do you think Wally of Jasmine would know?" she asked next. "I don't think either of them are here," Barbara answered. "At least I haven't seen them." The others concurred and Zatanna, becoming slightly alarmed, went to the room Artemis occupied over the summer. She wasn't there either. "Artemis, where are you?" Zatanna muttered.

She quickly went to the zeta computer and checked the coordinates of the last place Artemis went. "Hm... she came here, then five minutes later she zetaed to Santa Prisca... Something is definitely wrong." She pulled up a live video feed to the Justice League watchtower. It dialed for a moment and a league member picked up. He stared at Zatanna for a moment, not saying a word.

"Um, hi, my name is Zatanna, I'm in Camp Justice, I was worried about one of the other members... she seems to have disappeared. Could- could you help me?"

The man on the other line was silent for a long moment. Finally he replied, "Yes, tell me everything that happened."

Zatanna wasn't sure where to start. She spoke timidly, "Yes, thank you. Um, who are you?"

Another pause. In a deep voice he replied, "I am Doctor Fate."

oOo

Artemis woke, bleary- eyed, and looked around her, trying to remember what had just happened. As the memories started flooding back to her, she was overcome with utter disheartenment. Never had she felt so discouraged in her life. Hunter had betrayed her. Wally had left her. She had been captured, after a successful third attempt by her unknown enemy. How could she have been so stupid? Two kidnap events within 24 hours should have put her on her guard. _I at least could have taken Wally with- oh, wait. _She swallowed hard and tried to hold back another barrage of tears. Suddenly the door to the room she was locked in swung open. In stepped a tall, muscular, man wearing a hockey mask. Artemis tried not to look disconcerted. This was what happened to superheroes all the time. She could handle it.

"Hello, Artemis," he said. "It's nice to finally see you again."

She stood her ground. "You're Sports Master."

"Yeah," he smiled cynically. "But we can speak on more personal terms here," -he took off his mask- "Daughter."

"Shut up," Artemis immediately quipped. "As long as you lead a life like this, I'm not your daughter."

"You must misunderstand my intentions, then." He stood up and walked over to a filing cabinet. "Everything I do is to support you and your mother. How do you think you're even able to have a decent life with Paula out of work?"

"We hardly live a decent life," Artemis was trying hard not to show weakness. She thought her father had been long gone, and even when Wally had told her, she hadn't wanted to believe it.

"But you have a life. And that's where I come in." He handed her a picture of their family ten years earlier. "I keep that to remind me of what I'm working for, Artemis."

"You don't do a very good job, then. Jade ran out and we haven't seen her for years."

"That's what you think," Lawrence Crock's smile found its way back to his face. "You see, this whole act of heroism that you've so boldly decided to pursue has really brought our whole family back together. You've been living with your sister this entire summer. She's been working for me, of course, undercover, but you didn't seem to notice."

Everything clicked in Artemis' mind. It explained everything. The attacks on her, how they seemed to know every move she made, even the skill gained previously by a certain member of the team. Jasmine was her sister.

"I knew there was a reason I hated her," Artemis muttered.

"Don't be so harsh, Artemis. She's only trying to help. It's good pay to be an assassin."

"An _assassin_?!" Artemis exclaimed. "Do you even hear yourself?!"

"Think about it, if you're not too dull," his own voice rose. "The higher pay we get, the easier it is to provide for your mother, plus keeping a little extra for our own needs."

"Why did you kidnap me?" Artemis asked suddenly to catch him off guard.

"We wanted the family back together."

"Bullshit."

"We heard the Justice League was training new heroes, and Jade, undercover, saw you had great potential. It's not wrong to be poor, Artemis. You must understand that. We both work to survive."

Artemis could tell there was more to it than just trying to get through life by becoming an assassin. "I don't want any part of it."

"Why not? You haven't even given us a chance," he knelt down to eye level with her. "Tell me, Artemis, where will you go if you choose your life in Gotham? Your so called family of superheroes doesn't want you any more. You know you'll never fit in with those rich kids at your school. You have nothing there. Join us, and we can all be together again."

Artemis was about to scream at him, but she didn't know what to scream. What he had said was true. She'd never fit in with the Gotham Academy kids. She was too different from them. Here, she had her sister. She had her father, one who still seemed to care about their family. In Gotham, she didn't have anything. Not even Wally. Wally had betrayed her trust, left her by herself only one day after he had promised to always be there. She could feel her anger taking over. She never wanted to see his face again. He'd pretended he'd treat her in the way she was meant to be treated, then stomped on her heart. He probably had told all the others about her father too. They would never want to talk to her again.

Her father woke her from her reverie. "I'm offering you a family, Artemis. Your real family, not one that pretends to be but is never really there. Come back to your sister and me."

Artemis had been gazing meditatively at the ground, but finally looked up, determination in her eyes. "Where do you want me to start?"

oOo

***Grimaces* ...so... how was it? I wanted to get away from the usual "Artemis lost her memory and joined the bad guys" or "Artemis was forced into joining the bad guys" and just go with plain old "Artemis joined the bad guys."**

**Make sure to tell me if you think it works or not, and you shall get a mouse watering detestable breadstick. oh wait. mouth watering delectable breadstick. Gosh I love Arthur. Till next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

Cold steel walls, steel doors. Footsteps clinked and echoed, somehow making the eerie hallway seem emptier. Suspicious faces peered at Artemis as she walked to her new bedroom. The face she felt most ashamed to look into, however, was her own. She refused to look at her reflection in the shiny wall down the hallway. Was she feeling regret? No, she couldn't be. It was just the transition. Her feelings weren't those of remorse or loneliness over lost friends, lost home, lost identity. No, she was tired. It had been a long day.

Still, approaching the titanium door and placing her dry, slender fingers on it, she wished there was something in which she could find comfort in this prison- like room. She just had to get over the... transition. Soon enough she could call it home.

"So, you decided to cooperate this time."

Artemis turned around.

Jasmine.

Or... Jade.

"I wasn't forced into it, Jade. I made this decision on my own."

"You keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile, it'll be fun to show you some real fighting."

Anger started to flare in Artemis. Jade had put everyone at risk, including herself! She had taken advantage of Roy's feelings, and used them.

"You betrayed us all! You _used _us! You pretended to be our friend but left! How could you?!"

"The same way you did," Jade replied cooly. "I guess we're more alike than I thought."

"Shut up," Artemis flared. She was trying to deny it. "Don't talk about it ever again."

"Oh, and what would you do? You don't have anyone to protect you here," she taunted. "And I'm assuming your little boyfriend won't be making visits."

"_Shut up! _None of that even matters now! This is how it's going to be."

"Alrighty then," Jade smiled and sauntered off. "See you at practice!"

Artemis slammed the door, shutting out her problems and Jade with them.

It wasn't true. She hadn't betrayed them, she was starting over. _They_ were the ones who had rejected her. Tired and stressed from the day, she sat down on the edge of the bed. She didn't want to think about it any more.

Thankfully she didn't have to, as a red light above her door began to blink. It was time for the first practice.

oOo

Before stepping into the practice room, Artemis slipped into a sleek, black and green costume that still covered part of her face.  
Approaching the rest of the team, she was shocked to see Hunter, wearing his yellow mask. Then she remembered that it made sense he would be there. "Hey," he nodded at her. "I heard the good news, congrats!" She just smiled uncomfortably, feeling the weight of each person's stare.

Soon everyone's attention was turned towards a woman at the head of the group who announced they would be starting a new training simulation momentarily. Jade approached Artemis. "That's Lady Shiva, our trainer. I suggest you don't get on her bad side." Artemis just nodded and followed the others to shelves of weapons. "You may all pick one weapon for this simulation," Lady Shiva announced. "As usual, it's every man for himself, and we'll be using Metropolis as our setting today."

Artemis skimmed over the weapons until her eyes laid upon the weapon she'd been searching for. There were dozens of kinds of arrows, not just dull or sharp, but explosive and liquid and net arrows. She took them all and placed them in her quiver. Without warning, the room transformed into the pleasant city of Metropolis. The simulation had begun.

"Last one standing is the winner," Shiva's voice came out of no where. "Begin."

With deep breath Artemis ducked into the shadows. She lithely climbed the fire escape of a building and laid on her stomach at the top, peering down for a better view. She saw one figure creeping around the corner of the building across from her. _Well_, n_o time like the present. _

A moment later an arrow exploded into the building next to the figure. To her horror, it completely collapsed and fell on top of him. A moment later, however, she saw him hurl the bricks away and emerge from the dusty pile.

"Oh phew," Artemis called down to him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" she stopped as he stepped into the light, revealing his hulking mass of muscle. He ran full speed at the building she was on top of, pounding it with his fists. The building started to shake and cave in.

_Guess we're playing dirty._

She shot an arrow at the building diagonal from her, a sturdy bungee chord attached to the end. She secured it quickly on the other end and using her bow, she swung to the other roof top. By this time, the other members had engaged each other and were fighting violently. Over on a long bridge, a muscular teenage girl with a blond ponytail saw Artemis out of the corner of her eye, and with large bounds began to close the gap between them. Artemis casually pulled out another explosive arrow and shot it in front of the girl. The bridge slowly collapsed, taking her enemy with it. Artemis leaped to the ground with the poise of a cat.

"One rule here, new girl," came a voice with a country accent. "You mess with Sis, I mess with you." She turned and saw a boy, obviously the twin of the girl she had just taken down, and decided this proposition didn't sound too good. Holding her bow above her head, she shot a grapple arrow directly above her. Implanting itself on the window of another building, she was pulled upwards a second before the twin launched himself at her. She was out of his reach quickly enough, and she crashed through the window into a conference room.

Gathering her wits, she looked around to make sure no one else was there. Suddenly a car came flying through the wall towards her. She rolled out of the way just in time, and peered through the window, whole body tense, to see the boy ready to throw another towards her. She dodged his shots as best she could and stationed herself at another window. She sent a barrage of arrows in his direction, mostly explosive, but he managed to survive them all, countering her attacks with the heavy objects he was throwing. Finally she took out one of the foam arrows she had, which releases polyurethane foam on its victims to immobilize them. She took an extra half second for accurate aim and released the arrow. It hit the twin dead center, and a moment later he was engulfed in the foam. She smiled to herself and grappled down to the street. Noticing that several other members were already down, she looked to see who was left. No one seemed to be around.

Artemis suddenly detected a sound from behind and quickly turned with an arrow poised and ready for a target. She was knocked over by a speeding figure and immediately knew it was Hunter. Flinging him off her before he could land a blow, she sprung back onto her feet, ready for the next attack. When he came back towards her, a queer feeling came over her. For a moment she couldn't put her finger on it, but a split second later she knew she recognized the same pattern, techniques, and abilities she had seen so many times before.

Zoom fought exactly like Wally.

The memory made pulse quicken in anger, and she swung her bow low, knocking him off his feet. She tackled him, trying to keep him from running any where, and furiously threw a volley of punches to his face, her breath ragged and her mind fogged. For a split second she looked down darkly at her bruised opponent in triumph, then punctured his flailing arms with a sedative tipped arrow to slow him down.

It didn't have an affect at first, as he unsuccessfully kept trying to attack her, but finally, the sedative taking its toll, he slumped down, unconscious.

Artemis was breathing heavily, and her mind stirred out of its memories and silent wishes to wake her back to the present. The simulation slowly faded away, and they were back in the training room with Lady Shiva. Studying the scene, she realized she was one of the last ones to stand. Jade, still wearing her mask, was standing off to the side. A few other members who were in the middle of combat slowed to a stop. The others all lay unconscious on the ground.

"That is enough for today," Shiva announced. "I will see you all tomorrow." As she passed Artemis she gave a dark smile. "Very impressive. You will do well with this team."

Her stomach lurched at the words. Impressed with her fighting? Or impressed that she had fought with no reserve or fear of injuring her opponents? She had nearly scared herself with the emotion she had shown in battle. Canary would have said it was unprofessional. But Canary wasn't her teacher any more.

oOo

Trying not to ponder these thoughts too deeply, she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was difficult to find entertainment by staring at the ceiling. But she did it anyway.

A knock sounded at the door. She growled, then got up to look through the peep hole. She was surprised at who she saw, and slowly opened the door.

"Hunter?"

"Shh, secret identity thing. Around here they call me Zoom."

"Um... okay? What do you want?"

"I just wanted to show you around a little. You know, you were pretty badass in practice today," he smiled and nudged her.

"Yeah... Sorry about my... anger management back there."

"Nah, you were great! Who cares if my jaw is still numb? You did exactly what you were supposed to."

Her head started to swim a little at this comment, and she was glad when Hunter proposed, "So, you want to come with me? I can show you all the places you're supposed to go, and maybe even some you're not supposed to," He added.

Cautiously, Artemis stepped out of the room. Should she go with him? He tried to _kidnap _her. And she had pretty much tried to kill him. But on the other hand, he was her new team mate. She was going to have to get used to it. Somehow it just didn't feel the same.

"Where are we going first?" she queried.

"Down to the dining hall. It's kind of far though, so-" he picked her up and sprinted down the hall.

"You know, I don't mind walking."

"Yeah, but you're kind of slow. It's easier this way. Am I making you uncomfortable?" he smiled with an eyebrow raised. _Oh, brother._

"No. I'm fine."

He set her down as they reached the dining hall. "Right over here, Babe," he motioned towards a line of other villains and walked over.

Artemis felt awkward as she took a tray and waited in line, Hunter and the pair of twins filing in behind her. She was receiving glares from practically everyone in the room, and they didn't care that she was noticing it. She shifted uncomfortably and looked at Hunter.

"Don't worry, they're all pretty bitchy. But once you get to know them..." he trailed off and thought for a moment. "They're still pretty bitchy. But hey, that's why we have each other," he smiled coyly. "I'm going to enjoy getting to know you, on a more personal level this time."

Artemis just gave a nervous laugh. This was freaking her out.

He leaned forward till his breath made Artemis shiver. "Free time's at eight," he whispered suggestively into her ear. He turned and the girl twin behind them winked at him. He just smiled back and scooped some potatoes onto his plate. When he turned around again, Artemis was gone.

oOo

She was running. And she hoped Hunter wouldn't follow. She just needed to clear her head. It was only 6:30, but all she wanted to do was sleep. When asleep she didn't have to worry about anything. Her footsteps resounded on the metallic floor and she was out of breath when she finally reached her door, flinging it open and throwing herself on to the bed. She lay there, staring at the ceiling. Again. Okay, so this was not turning out as well as she hoped it would. She thought maybe Hunter could help her get through all this, but he was... different now.

No, she couldn't go back, not now. She didn't have anything to go back to. Besides, going back would just prove how weak she was. She could make it through this. But right now she just wanted to sleep.

It took her a couple hours, but finally Artemis fell into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were filled with the uncertainty of the future. What might happen if she stayed, if she left. Familiar faces clouded her slumber, telling her what to do and what not to do. She tossed and turned until finally, she sat straight up in bed and threw her pillow at the wall.

This must just be part of the transition. _But why does it fucking suck so much?  
_She had thought it through, right? This is what she wanted to do, it was her life! To be with her sister, to be with her father, to help provide for her mom! To start fresh and never have to think about the past again. She never had to. So why was it still haunting her dreams? She couldn't go back to sleep, not now. There wasn't any escape from the argument with herself.

She got up and walked around the large building. At least, she thought it was large, but she didn't know for _sure _because she had never actually seen the outside of it. It's cold structure made it feel large, however, so she settled that it was.

Artemis didn't know where she was going. She knew she wasn't going back to sleep tonight, so she might as well get lost.  
It was 3:30 a.m., and most of the team were asleep or in their rooms. She tried to avoid running into any other people, as she was already under enough suspicion. Getting an automatic pass to join because of family relations didn't put her in the best place with the other members.

Coming to a door titled, "Screening Room," she cautiously opened it and peeked inside. No one was occupying it, so she stepped in. A large computer was set on one side of the room, and a few machines were scattered around the rest of it. From reading the labels on the machines, she figured they were used to test members for abilities. This must have been what her father was talking about when he said she'd be profiled the following day. She went to the computer and turned it on.

Scanning the names on two separate lists, she realized that the base full of villains was split into two groups: The League of Shadows and a team titled, "Project- Young Shadows." It seemed to be an experimental team, the one Artemis was going to be on.

Stepping back out into the hall, Artemis continued, curiosity aroused. Finally, she came to the end of the hall, splitting into a right and a left. Down the right was another set of doors, but down the left lay a single door, an alarm system wired to it. The left being the much more interesting direction, she slowly walked towards it. Trying to remember her computer class plus the little extra Dick had taught her, she took off the cover of the alarm system and rewired it. She smiled to herself as it deactivated and she slowly pushed open the door.

Her eyes widened as they were met with the most unexpected sight. Chained to a wall, torn and bruised, was Wally.

**oOo**

**So... That was one of the longer chapters of this story, I hope you enjoyed! Tell me if you think it's moving too fast, or any other tips you might have. Thank you so much for the reviews! I really really appreciate them!**


	17. Chapter 17

"W-Wally?"

Artemis' first impulse was to fling herself onto him and make sure he was okay. She had to stop herself, however. She was not giving into him. Not even like this.

He painfully lifted his head and looked up at her. She saw the shock in his eyes as they met hers. She diverted her gaze.

"Art-Artemis. You're-" he struggled to get words out. "You're here. You're- safe."

Both wrists were chained to the wall, and he looked exhausted. He was wearing a special costume, yellow and red, but it looked old and worn. It was torn and dirty, the mask that had once covered his face was ripped and had been pulled off. It hurt her to see him. She wanted to get out of the cold, dank room as quickly as possible. "Of course I'm safe. My real family takes good care of me."

Wally grimaced. "Artemis, st-stop it. This isn't" -quick breath- "you."

"It is now! I fit in better here, and I know _no one_ will reject me!"

"Is that- what this is- about?" he looked guiltily at her. "Artemis- I'm so sorry."

No. He was not getting her back. It wasn't all about him. At least she was telling herself that. This was a way to actually have her family, and to help her mom. She didn't have anything back in Gotham or Mount Justice. What else could she do? All she knew was that she was _not _the weak girl who would run back into the arms of the one who threw her away.

"I don't want your pity, Wally!" her face was flushed and she turned and opened the door.

"Artemis, NO!" Wally suddenly sprung up, chains still restraining him."Don't" -gasp for air- "leave!"

"Give me one good reason why I should stay?! You _ruined _whatever life I had!" _D__ammit. _She had promised herself she wouldn't cry. It was getting harder to hold out, especially when Wally was in this condition- so desperate, he looked like he was in so much pain, how could she just leave him here?

"I came here to tell you-" he coughed "-to say I'm sorry for what I did to you...after I- I told you you'd always have me... then... turn around... not trust you-" he broke off and fell on his knees. "It doesn't matter- to me- who the hell your- father- is..." he took a hard swallow. "I- I love you Artemis- I didn't want to lose... you to... him... especially because... my own fault..."

She slowly walked over to him. "I'm sick of bullshit. I need something real, Wally."

"I mean it," he looked up at her again, his voice hoarser than before. "I'm far from... perfect, Artemis... and I know I don't- deserve you- but I promise... I'll do-" he grimaced as Artemis knelt down and lightly touched an open wound. "-do better... if you can... give me a second chance."

"Stop trying to talk, you're hurt."

"Artemis, don't leave... me... alone-" he was cut off as Artemis' lips lightly touched his. His lips were chapped and cut, but she wouldn't have wanted anything else. As long as it was Wally, it was the best kiss she could have.

"You... forgive me?" he asked with a small smile of hope.

She just smiled and placed another kiss on his forehead. "We need to get out of here." She examined his chains, trying to find the best way to pick the lock. Suddenly her heart froze. She heard a movement on the other side of the door. She cursed as it slowly slid open, preparing for the worst. Cheshire stood in the doorway, triumphantly gazing on the two.

"You're just flip- flopping around today, aren't you?" she smirked through her mask.

"Jade, move out of the way. I will fight you if I have to."

"Oh, shut up, Artemis. I'm not here to stop you, I'm here to help. You're lucky I was the one on monitor duty. You aren't very thoughtful of hidden cameras, now are you?"

"You're- you're here to help?" Artemis stammered.

"That's what I said, isn't it? Here's the key. You don't have long till the rest of the team gets up, and I can't risk being seen with you, so you'll have to hurry."

Artemis started working at the locks. "Why do you want me to escape?"

"Artemis, you have a life outside of all this. What's here is not a life, it's a prison. And once you start, you can't get out. I don't want you to have to go through what I do."

Artemis still hesitated. "But what about Dad? He told me-"

"Dad doesn't care about our family, it didn't take long for me to find that out. His boss promised him a permanent spot with the League of Assassins if he destroyed your little team. That's his agenda."

Wally had been listening until Artemis unchained him. As she slowly helped him up, he whispered, "Artemis, her voice sounds really familiar." She she mentally face palmed and turned back to Jade. "Why don't you come with us?"

"It's too late. This is the only life I have. If I ran away they'd hunt me down and kill me. I would never be able to start a life of my own."

"What about Roy?"

There was a pause.

Jade bowed her head.

"It's too late."

Artemis didn't understand everything about her sister's situation, but she respected her wish for Artemis to have a better life. Jade broke the silence with, "You'd better hurry." She was the first to run and disappear down the hall.

Artemis helped Wally stand to his feet and put one arm around her solder for support. "Are you going to be able to walk?"

"Yeah, I'll be- fine. Your chum never told us how- to get out of this maze of a building though."

Artemis gritted her teeth. She probably should have stuck around for that tour with Hunter.

They made slow progress down the hall. She began to voice her many thoughts, as she finally had a companion to listen. "I can't believe he made up all that stuff about family, and- and-" she sighed. "I had never imagined him this way." Wally patted her shoulder reassuringly. "That's what... the team is for, Artemis. We'll all take- good care of you from now on."

"Wally, do you think the team will want me back, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"They might not want me, not after finding out about my family."

"Artemis, they don't know- about your family. I never told them. As far as- I know, Dick is the only one."

Artemis smiled. "I'm sorry I was so accusatory. I just let my mind blow things way out of proportion."

"Well then, I guess we're even."

Suddenly Artemis asked worriedly, "Wally, when's the last time you've eaten?"

"I followed you about five minutes after you left, and I had eaten a" -he winced at the pressure put on his ankle- "granola bar just before. So..."

"Do you realize that was almost twelve hours ago?! We need to get something for you!" Her eyes scanned desperately for an answer. She spotted a vending machine and she helped Wally hobble over to it. "You don't happen to have any money on you?" Wally shook his head. She took a deep breath and broke the glass window with a furious kick. "Which do you prefer, Carmellos or Snickers?"

"Hurry-" short breath- "someone will have- heard that. Oh, and grab a couple- snickers."

He devoured them quickly and was able to stand on his own. He could also talk without having to take deep breaths mid-sentence. "How are we going to get out of here?" he asked searching along with her. She spotted a computer and began quickly typing on it. A map of the building appeared on the screen. "This is where we are now," she pointed to Hallway D. "And there's only two exits in this entire building. Great."

Suddenly she heard a door open and slam shut from somewhere around the corner. Resounding footsteps were coming in their direction. Artemis turned to Wally. "Can you run?"

He nodded, and the two sprinted as fast as they could in the opposite direction of their enemy. "It won't take them long to find out I've escaped," Wally panted. Artemis set her jaw and put on a burst of speed. _We can do this. _

Suddenly, the sirens began to wail and flash in every direction. Doors started opening and slamming, voices were yelling to each other, causing major confusion. _One more corner. _The two rounded it, only to be stopped in their tracks by a few guards. Not giving them time to think, Artemis pounced at them, landing blows every which way. Wally tried his best to do the same, but his low energy was taking a toll on him. _  
_

Three guards lay unconscious, and she could hear more coming. Soon the pair were surrounded, doing their best to fight every one off. They were making fairly decent progress, when an explosion from behind threw Artemis against the wall. She lay stunned for a moment, but shakily tried to stand up.

"Ah, ah ah." Came the annoying voice of one of the team members. "Traitors don't get second chances."

She turned just in time to see a sheet of ice shooting towards her, and though she ducked and rolled out of the way as quickly as she could, soon she was covered in a cold block of ice. _Not again._ Her mind blurred, drifted to Wally, then blacked out.

oOo

**Soooo... what did you think? Please let me know! I really LOVE all the reviews I've gotten so far my lovely reading/writing friends! And school is starting to weigh me down a bit... so enjoy what you have for now! I'm going to need some motivation for this in the next couple weeks :p Till next time!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the delay! Like I said... _school. _:P So anyway, next chapter! Hope you enjoy! It's coming to an end pretty soon :( So please review!**

The first sensation was icy. With further consciousness came further frigidness, spreading into her dry, cracked fingers and palms. Her toes were already numb, the sense spreading in her calves as well. The rest of her body shook as she became more responsive, and she found herself already curled into a fetal position when she was fully awake. Her clothes clung to her, damp from the recently melted ice. Finally, her eyes shot open, taking in her surroundings. Surprisingly, she wasn't tied or chained, but found herself in a dark chamber with one door, dead bolted with an alarm system over it. Memories began flooding back.

"Artemis!"

The one comfort she could feel at the moment came spreading through her ears. She tried to sit up, and Wally was at her side in a moment. "I c-can barely m-move," her teeth chattered. He sat behind her and pulled her body onto his lap, rubbing her arms for warmth. "I melted faster than you did," he began. "I'm barely cold at all."

Artemis just murmured in reply and nuzzled her head deeper into his shoulder. His radiating heat felt so comforting, besides that he was ten times warmer than she was. For ten minutes she lay there, dozing in and out of consciousness, warmer with each minute, her clothes finally dry. In between her wake and slumber, she could hear Wally whispering reassurances into her ear.

"It's going to be alright, Artemis, I'm going to get us out of here." His hot breath made her even warmer, though she shivered.

Finally she had thawed enough to sit straight up and say, "Wally, this is all my fault. If I hadn't-" she sniffed, her nose pink from the cold, "-run away, this never would have h-happened."

"There are a lot of 'ifs,' Beautiful," he spoke softly, but the guilt was clear in his tone. He tucked his chin onto her shoulder and laid his cheek against hers.

"Any idea what t-time it is?"

He shook his head and held her a little closer.

The time ticked by slowly. Despair was inevitable. The silence thick and unbreakable. Artemis could feel the emptiness in her stomach, and she shut her eyes, trying to shut out the discomfort with them.

It felt like hours had gone by when suddenly, the door was thrown open with a bang, and Sports Master stood in the door way, glowering at them. Wally's eyes flashed with fear, then clutching Artemis tightly in his arms, he looked Sports Master dead in the eye with nothing but anger. Lawrence Crock held the look for no more than a moment before barking, "Artemis!"

She looked at him feebly and tried to stand, but Wally held her back.

"Stay out of this, boy," Sports Master growled. "I'm taking her. Now."

"Then you're taking me too."

"Let go of her!" he suddenly raged, and kicked Wally in the ribs, knocking him over. Then he grabbed Artemis by one wrist and yanked her to her feet. Wally caught his breath, and in a burst of speed threw Sports Master against the wall. His head hit the stone hard, and he immediately sank to the floor. But before the pair of prisoners could breathe a sigh of relief, he looked up again and threw himself at Wally, his arms and legs moving with expert martial arts. Wally dodged as best he could, but couldn't get an attack of his own in. He was too tired to be at his peak, and with each evasion he became more weak and slow.

Artemis felt helpless as she lay on the ground watching the two, but she didn't have strength to stand. All at once, Wally tripped and fell right into Sports Master's strong hands. He held him by his neck off the ground, Wally trying to claw at the thick fingers that gripped his throat.

In desperation, Artemis had stumbled over and grabbed her father's leg. "Stop it! Stop Dad, please!" she kicked her aside with no more effort than an lion trampling grass. "Now you'll learn not to meddle!" he squeezed the life out of Wally.

Artemis suddenly became aware of a rumbling sound coming from outside the room. It became louder and louder, until it penetrated the wall. It's entirety suddenly caved in, revealing the faces Artemis had never been so glad to see in her life. Clad in costumes and fiercer than ever. stood the team.

Wally took the opportunity to kick Sports Master, thus releasing his grasp on him. He fell to the ground, choking for air. Immediately the team went to work, splitting up till one group attacked Sports Master and the other were helping Wally and Artemis. Zatanna was able to restrain their enemy with a spell that kept him tied to the floor. Barbara immediately ran to Artemis' side and threw her arms around her.

"You're alive," Barbara breathed. "Thank God."

All Artemis could do was return the embrace. She then stood up and offered the two prisoners water and food. They eagerly accepted, and Artemis could feel her strength returning.

"We have seven minutes to get out of here before the restraining enclosure kicks in!" Dick yelled over the commotion. He explained that just before they had landed, he had set a timer on an automatic enclosure that would encase the island so that no one could get in and no one could get out. The Justice League would come to deal with the villains shortly after.

The teens ran through the halls, meeting with various groups of guards, who were no match for the group of superheroes. Icicle Jr. as well as Mammoth, and the Terror Twins provided a more equal battle. Conner and M'gann took on the twins, while Dick and Barbara fought Icicle Jr. Mammoth wasn't hard to confuse, and it didn't take long for the remaining members to withhold him. When Zatanna was hit hard in the head by Tommy Terror, the team decided to retreat. Wally carried her in his arms.

They started running desperately towards the exit, when Artemis suddenly halted. _Jade. _

Wally stopped too. "What's wrong, Artemis?"

"Go, Wally! Go on! I'll catch up later!" She turned and ran back.

"Artemis!" Wally yelled after her. He was about to go back, but took one look at Zatanna, unconscious in his arms, and decided to get to M'gann's bioship as fast as possible. He could go back for her later.

Artemis ran all through the building, screaming, "Jade! Jade!" she soon gave up and turned back. She made it outdoors and frantically looked for the team. She was on the edge of a cliff, and finally spotted the ship far out towards the water. _I'll never make it in time,_ she thought in tried to find a smooth path to take down, but was suddenly struck by an electrical shock so great, she fell to the ground. She turned around to see a boy about her age, with small horns on top of his head. His eyes turned red as a supercilious smile crossed his face. "This is going to be fun."

As the words came out of his mouth, electricity poured from his hands and hit Artemis. She cried out loudly, then gritted her teeth in determination. She was barely able to move. "S-stop it!" she shrieked, crawling backwards slowly. She suddenly slipped and fell backwards, gripping the edge of the rocky cliff. Her feet dangled loosely below. The electricity was getting worse, and she tried to cling with shaking fingers, but was slipping. Tears she had tried so hard to hold in were starting to fall. Her body was going numb. She suddenly cried out in complete anguish, not able to hold it in any longer. The boy laughed at her agony, and with one final blow, sent a magnificent electrical pulse towards her. Her fingers couldn't hold any longer, and with a piercing scream, she fell.

Artemis' mind spun as she went down, down, until she was jolted roughly. She realized she was still moving, and looked up to see that she was in a speedster's arms. She closed her eyes in relief, her breathing rapid and her body still shaking from the electrical torment. They slowed to a stop.

"You have one minute to get on board," he gestured to the ship.

"Wait, no!" Artemis cried. "You have to come with me, Hunter! You can't stay!" she tried frantically to cling to him, but he shoved her off.

"No, Artemis, I have to pay for all the things I've done! You need to get out of here before any one else finds you!" He pushed her farther towards the entrance to the bioship.

"No, I'm not leaving with out you!"

"Artemis, I'm so glad we met, you've helped me more than you'll ever know."

Aqualad came from inside the ship and gently pulled her in, although she resisted. "Please! Come with us!"

"You're my hero, Artemis!" Hunter shouted.

With that, the bioship doors slammed shut.

**And... IT'S WALLY WEST'S BIRTHDAY TODAY! So Happy Birthday Wally!**


	19. Chapter 19

The doors slammed shut with a resounding bang, echoing for a moment as if to elaborate the silence that filled the ship. Almost every team member wanted to celebrate their victory, but could tell by looking at Artemis that she needed time to be alone. The trip back was silent.

oOo

What she could have done. What she shouldn't have done. What she should have. It was all replaying in her mind. What might have happened. What mightn't have happened. It was banging around in her head, until she could barely take it. What she had uncovered, what she wish she hadn't, what she didn't understand. How could her father- how could her sister- how could Hunter? Why? She didn't understand any of it. She probably never would.

There were too many unanswered questions. But there was one that finally had been answered. She had been picked for this camp not because of talent, not because they saw something special in her -that much she had already known. But they wanted to keep her off the path her family was on. The path of a criminal.

She lay in her room at the Cave, the place she had been laying for the past three hours, the ceiling once again the object of her attention. She had been in there ever since the team rescued her. She wanted to be grateful, and she was, but something had come between them now.

She heard a soft knock at her door. "Artemis?"

She got up and opened it. Dick was standing outside her door, and in a moment he was embracing her.

Artemis was shocked for a moment, but realized that this was what she wanted. She needed comfort. She didn't want to be alone.

"I just never got to tell you how glad I am you're safe," he said.

"Artemis?"

Said archer looked up and saw Megan, a meek expression on her face. "Hi, Megan," she smiled a little. The martian immediately joined in the hug. Soon Artemis felt another pair of arms embrace the little group and looked up to see Zatanna. She broke out of the group hug and threw her arms solely around Artemis. Barbara and Kaldur had entered the hall, as well as Connor, and they all welcomed Artemis back. She beamed brightly. It didn't matter that she had evil assassins for a family, or that for even a tiny moment, she had doubted the team and herself. They didn't care. _That _was how a family should be.

"Roy?" Dick looked up as the red head passed the reunion. He took a look at the scene but didn't stop walking. "Do you have anything you want to say to Artemis?" Connor asked, annoyance clear in his tone. "Glad you're back," he deadpanned with out turning to look.

Zatanna fumed, "How dare he-"

"No," Artemis cut her off. "It's okay, don't be too hard on him." She wasn't able to understand how he was feeling, but she knew what he was dealing with. She could imagine that maybe, somewhere, Jade was dealing with the same thing.

"Now that we're celebrating," Megan bubbled. "We can go to the kitchen and eat the cake I made!"

The group exchanged wary glances as she flew off happily. "Yay…" Zatanna smiled. The others laughed and set off towards the kitchen. Artemis lingered for a moment, then felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey."

Artemis smiled at Wally. "Hey."

He looked at her for a long moment, then asked, "Do you mind if I show you something?"

Artemis hopped on his back piggy-back style and kissed his cheek. The two set off in the opposite direction of the kitchen, and stopped when they reached a room with a heavy steel door. Wally scanned his hand at the door and it slid open. It revealed a room with computers, equipment, and tech to design weapons with. He walked over to were a green suit was hanging and carried it over to her. She held it out in front of her and gazed with admiration.

"Wally, I- I love it."

"Green Arrow and I designed it for you. Do you have a super hero name yet?"

Artemis grimaced. "Um, can I just keep my real name?"

"No," Wally rolled his eyes. "I don't know what mine should be."

"What are your options?"

"Eh, Flash Boy, Flash Junior-"

"I like Kid Flash."

"What?"

"Kid Flash. You know, it's original."

He hesitated. "You don't think people would get it mixed up, do you?"

"Nah," Artemis reassured him, starting towards the door.

"I still think Flash- Man is better."

She smacked him on the back of the head. "Come on Kid Doofus, or the cake will be all gone."

He grasped her wrist and tugged her back. "I'm not hungry," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't lie to me," Artemis smiled as his nose brushed against hers.

He looked at her seriously. "I just want to tell you again how sorry I-"

"You don't have to," she cut him off. "We all make mistakes, and I messed up too. I don't want you to ever think you have to be perfect for me. I love you despite your imperfections."

When Wally only stared at her with out saying a word, a rush of embarrassment came over Artemis, and she diverted her gaze to the ground. A moment later she felt his cold fingers on her chin, gently bringing her fixation back up to his.

"I know I'll still screw up sometimes, but if you're willing to have me," he took her hand in his, "I promise I will never leave you."

"I love you," she suddenly threw herself into his chest, her arms tightening around his waist.

He held the back of her head gently. "I love you too," then closed the gap between them, melting his lips into hers. Neither one knew how long it lasted, it felt like forever. But in that moment, all of the mistakes and ill feelings were washed away, and neither spoke of them again.

They each pulled away for just a moment, Artemis wearing a bright smile on her face, when Wally suddenly captured her lips again, this time rougher and more aggressively. His grip tightened on Artemis and she smiled a little through the kiss. He backed her towards a wall, when she suddenly jerked out of his grasp and he fell, hitting his head on the steel. He winced as he rubbed his head.

"Fastest boy alive," Artemis taunted from the door. "Yeah, right."

She suddenly took off down the hall, Wally smirking and pursuing a moment later.

oOo

Batman, and Black Canary sat in the common room with several other league members, as well as the team.

"Where are Artemis and Wally?" Batman asked the teens, and each shrugged and looked at each other.

Suddenly they heard laughter echoing from the hall and Artemis sprinted in, ducking behind a wall as she entered, not noticing the audience watching her. A second later Wally ran in but skidded to a stop as he saw the adults, then tripped over himself. Artemis burst out laughing, but then realizing that the entire room was silent, she scooted over to the rest of the team, trying to keep a straight face. Wally stood up as well.

"Well," Black Canary began. "We figured that now would be the best time to introduce you to a few of the other league members. Kids, meet Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Superman, Aquaman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter. Red Tornado will be staying here at the cave to watch over you."

"We will expect full cooperation from you as well as appropriate behavior at all times," Batman stated, looking specifically at Dick. The other league members began introducing themselves to the young heroes.

"I hear Conner's going to be mentored by Superman," Zatanna smiled. "Lucky boy."

"Mentored?" Artemis repeated. "Do we all get mentors?"

"I don't know," her companion shrugged.

"Do you have a mentor?"

"Well, actually," Zatanna hesitated. "Dr. Fate is going to train me."

Artemis didn't know who that was. Oh well. "That's neat," she smiled.

"Yeah," Zatanna returned the smile, and for a moment, Artemis read a sad glint in her eye, but it was gone an instant later.

"Who are you being mentored by?" she asked as Dick sauntered towards the group.

"Batman," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Not uh," Artemis scoffed. "He already has a side kick."

"Uh, yeah," Dick looked at her meaningfully.

"Oh..." she trailed off as this dawned on her.

"And I even got Barbie here hooked up," he nudged the red head.

"No way," Artemis smiled at Barbara. "That's awesome! It's like a dream come true!"

"Shh!" she replied. "Let's not talk about that anymore."

"Aww! You're like a little Bat-" she paused and thought. "Girl!"

She could tell Barbara was proud, but also embarrassed. Artemis suddenly felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Green Arrow.

His stern face held a friendly smile, and he cleared his throat. "Roy tells me you're quite the archer. Any chance you would want to train with me?"

She stared for a moment, and rather impulsively and totally out of her nature, she threw her arms around him. "Yea!" she exclaimed, then let go and looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay," he waved it off. "It should be fun helping you to be better. I can tell you have potential-"

"Really, Ollie?"

The group turned and looked to where Roy was standing, placing some arrows in a quiver. He wore a red and black costume and a domino mask.

Green Arrow's eyes widened. "Roy, you look-"

"Replaceable."

"It's not like that," Ollie began. "You told me you wanted to go solo."

"So why waste time finding a sub?" Roy fumed. "I thought we could still be partners, but I guess you'll be too busy babysitting."

Artemis was shocked. She had never seen Roy so put out. A few months earlier it would have hurt her, but now she was only worried.

Roy stormed off towards the zeta tube. Green Arrow tried to stop him. "Roy, look, just listen to me for-"

"Recognized: Roy Harper, B06."

"That's Red Arrow, B06, update."

He was gone in a flash of light.

The room was silent for a moment. Wally shifted awkwardly. "Well..."

"Do you have a mission for us, Batman?" Dick asked.

"Actually yes," Batman monotoned. "An emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor Power Plant. We want you to investigate covertly."

"We can take the bioship!" Megan suggested. Batman nodded. "I'll send you the coordinates."

"They're trying to keep us busy," Dick muttered to Barbara. "A covert investigation? After what we just did?"

"You never know what it might turn out to be," the newest member of the Bat family replied.

"And we'll never know if we don't get going," Conner cut in, moving towards the door. The others followed, but Artemis hesitated, then turned her gaze back towards the cave. Wally approached her with a plate full of food.

"Pickle for your thoughts?" he held up a slice.

"Um, no thanks," Artemis raised an eyebrow. Wally shrugged and threw the slice into his mouth.

"I just," she began. "I'm just wondering whether or not I should go into all this. I mean, what if I'm not really suited for it?"

"It only gets more dangerous from here," Wally replied seriously, his eyes falling on the bioship that was ready to depart. Artemis looked at it as well, and as she heard the roaring engines and the others calling them to hurry up, she felt her heart race and a feeling of satisfaction poured over her. This was what she wanted. To be with her family.

"You know," Wally suddenly broke the silence, a smirk returning to his face. "If you want to stay here, I could," -raising his eyebrows- "keep you company."

"I think you're just being lazy. Again," she started to pull off his goggles, then let go so that they snapped back onto his forehead. He yelped in pain as she left and neared the bioship. "Come on, West!"

"You won't let me get away with sitting out of just _one_ mission?" he pleaded.

"I won't let you get away with nothin'!" she yelled back.

Wally rolled his eyes and dismally boarded the ship, muttering, "Little spitfire..."

**THE END**

oOo

**Aw... its over :'( If you could do me one last favor, and tell me any thoughts you had on this, for example, if it was too rushed or too drawn out, too many grammatical errors, good plot or boring, etc. And of course I want to thank you one more time for all you support and for taking the time to read! If you enjoyed this one, I definitely will be posting more so please follow me! Thanks again everyone!**

**Also, here is the link to petition to SAVE Young Justice from being cancelled in the 2013-2014 schedule! Just enter slashes where the spaces are!**

** www change org/petitions/cartoon-network-warner-bros-bring-back-young-justice-and-green-lantern-the-animated-series**

**~Kairo~**


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